BACKFOOT Marks the Beginning of a Bigger Vision

For most filmmakers, a directorial debut represents the culmination of years of work. For Damian Hempstead, it’s just the beginning.

The emerging Australian filmmaker recently premiered BACKFOOT before a packed audience at Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter. The short film marks not only his first outing as a director but also his first writing credit, while serving as the launch pad for his newly formed production company, Damo & Tim Productions.

Hempstead stars alongside CJ Bloomfield (Mortal Kombat 2) and Bella Green (Last King of the Cross) in the coming-of-age drama, which follows 17-year-old basketball prodigy Jay, whose dreams of securing a U.S. scholarship are thrown into turmoil when his estranged sister unexpectedly re-enters his life seeking redemption. Exploring themes of family, forgiveness and second chances, BACKFOOT asks what we owe the people we love—and whether the past can ever truly be left behind.

For Hempstead, however, the story is more than fiction.

“This film came about three and a bit years ago,” he explains. “A cinematographer friend pitched the idea of making something that incorporated my background in basketball, and it built from there.”

What followed was an extensive development process that saw the screenplay evolve through fourteen drafts before cameras finally rolled.

Originally, Hempstead had not intended to direct the project.

“I approached a mentor of mine, Benjamin Mathews, to direct the film,” he says. “He then turned around and said, ‘Why don’t you direct it? I’ll shadow write and mentor you through the directing process.'”

The advice proved pivotal.

After more than three years of development, a four-day shoot and months in post-production, Hempstead finally watched his debut play before an audience.

Yet BACKFOOT is about far more than basketball.

Beneath the coming-of-age story lies an exploration of forgiveness and redemption—ideas deeply influenced by Hempstead’s Christian faith.

“My goal through Damo & Tim Productions is to create a culture that reflects and encourages a culture for Christ our King,” he says.

At the same time, Hempstead is careful to point out that BACKFOOT is not intended as overtly religious filmmaking.

“It’s not Christian or in-your-face,” he explains. “It has Christian themes and then tells real human stories that are of flawed human beings, as we all are.”

Rather than presenting idealised characters, Hempstead says he wants to tell stories about ordinary people wrestling with difficult decisions.

“The film gets people to question whether they’re still holding resentment towards other people—especially family and loved ones.”

Faith remains central to both his personal life and his creative ambitions.

“I owe everything to Jesus Christ,” he says. “He is my Lord and Saviour. My faith is everything to me.”

Those beliefs have become the foundation of Damo & Tim Productions, which Hempstead hopes will develop a slate spanning feature films, television and digital content.

His ambitions are unapologetically big.

After spending a year submitting BACKFOOT to film festivals without finding the breakthrough he had hoped for, Hempstead decided to back the project himself, with support from investors and collaborators.

“I was hopeful it was going to take off in some way,” he says. “Unfortunately that didn’t happen, so we looked at a way we could personally back it ourselves.”

The premiere attracted a strong audience, providing encouragement that there is an appetite for the kind of stories Hempstead wants to tell.

“It feels pretty surreal to see how many people have actually arrived and turned up,” he says.

Looking ahead, Hempstead sees companies such as U.S.-based Angel Studios as an inspiration. Productions including The Chosen have demonstrated there is a sizeable audience for stories rooted in faith while still appealing to mainstream viewers.

“I think definitely the goal is to take inspiration and mirror companies like Angel Studios,” he says.

Just as importantly, he wants to create opportunities for Australian talent.

“There’s such talented artists and creatives here in Australia,” he says. “Unfortunately, when a lot of American productions come here, local performers don’t always get the opportunity to headline those projects.

“As much as we can champion that, that’s the opportunity I want to give back.”

Already, Hempstead is writing a feature-length version of BACKFOOT, which he hopes will become the foundation for a much broader slate of productions.

For now, though, he’s allowing himself a moment to reflect.

BACKFOOT represents his debut as both writer and director. It marks the launch of a new production company and the first public step towards a much larger ambition.

“This is just the start,” Hempstead says. “This is just the beginning.”

Watch Blackfoot: https://youtu.be/ZBqfyXe2Nvg?si=N7RRhBnboriTeiUqCreating 

Learn more about Damo & Tim Productions: https://www.damotimproductions.com