Margaret River-raised screenwriter India Stanley raising funds for drawcard short movie Skin Deep

A young Margaret River woman looking to make a name for herself in the Australian film industry has floated a new project seeking crowdfunding to get off the mark.

Margaret River Senior High School graduate India Stanley made the move to Melbourne just before the COVID-19 pandemic started, disrupting her studies in writing for the screen at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Despite a range of obstacles since her high school graduation in 2016, Stanley has brought together a team of fellow young creatives to develop a short film called Skin Deep which recently won support at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards.

“Our team is incredibly proud of this achievement as it’s a highly competitive national initiative,” Stanley told the Times.

“As part of being selected, we have received $15,000 in production funds.

“We’re also currently crowdfunding to raise the remaining budget needed to bring our film to life.”

The short film was needed as a business card in the oftentimes cut-throat film industry where she and her colleagues were working hard to make waves.

Skin Deep tells the story of a single mother who is trying to get back into the dating game, but fears she is “ageing badly” and goes to extreme measures to improve her appearance, with unexpected consequences, the screenwriter said.

The movie was planned for a July production and extra funds were needed to see the project through.

Stanley said she drew upon science fiction elements to address the issue of women’s ageing and how it is often portrayed in the media compared to real life.

“Most of the mothers I know look nothing like the women I see in the media,” she said.

“Their bodies are lined with wrinkles, sunspots, stretch marks and scars — ‘flaws’ they sometimes wish they didn’t have.

“But each of these marks tells a story: from the sleepless nights raising their children to the years of laughter spent with family in the sun.”

Her team’s ambition was to tour the movie on the festival circuit once complete.

Stanley said she was thrilled with her studies and remained passionate about finding a place in the Australian film sector.

“It’s an incredibly competitive industry, but I have been very fortunate with how my career has progressed since graduating,” she said.

In early 2022, Stanley started work for a development and production company in Melbourne giving her the inside run and access to professional producers.

“Learning from them has inspired me to pursue a career in producing concurrently with a career in screenwriting,” she said.

“I am passionate about meaningful, character-driven storytelling, and also love genre, particularly grounded sci-fi.”

Crossing her fingers, Stanley said she also hoped to return to the Margaret River region eventually to produce a feature film.

Much of the imagery in Skin Deep was influenced by the region’s coastline and small-town vibe.

To contribute to the project, visit shorturl.at/wNwaM.