"I Am a Girl" is a film documenting girls' lives around the world and is currently casting a Sydney girl. Rebecca Barry is directing. Bec and her director of photography, Nicola, are now in PNG filming with a young woman who is having her first baby. The film also goes to Cambodia, New York City and India, in each place telling the story of a girl facing the kinds of problems that many of her generation and social class face. Here's a link to the website - you can see some clips and get a feel for the film: http://www.iamagirl.com.au/

We have lots of philanthropic support, including from Sydney Community Foundation, and we're heading into the busiest time of production with confidence!

For our Sydney girl, we want to focus on issues of economic disadvantage and the particular ways in which girls experience this. We are really pretty open about the kind of girl who could be part of the film, but we're looking for someone aged 14-16 who has a particular passion or talent that she wants to develop. We want to be able to film with her and her family, and possibly at her school, and ideally, she'd be someone going through a particular transition at the moment that would give us a story arc to follow (eg, she might be changing schools, preparing for a particular challenge like a competition of some sort, or she might be facing a new challenge like family illness or whatever). We want to find someone who can be open on camera and who has something going on in her life that gives us a story to tell and an insight into the particular challenges girls face when they struggle to afford the basics in life. We also want someone whose story helps highlight girls' potential - how is she attempting to overcome the challenges she's facing? We definitely want an optimistic and positive side to the story as well as a realistic look at the disadvantages our character faces.

We have no particular ethnic/racial identity in mind - the main thing is that the person in question is at that special moment in her life between girlhood and womanhood, where she's starting to realise her potential to take charge of her life.

So, I hope that gives you an idea of where we'd like to take the film. It would be great if you could spread this message around your organisation/community contacts. If anyone has any questions I'd be delighted to talk over the phone and let them know a bit more about the project. I'm on 0424 312 293. It would also be great if you could send me the names of any organisations or individuals you think I ought to contact.

Sarah.
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Mobile: 0424 312 293

From outside Australia/desde afuera de Australia: + 61 424 312 293

Skype: sarahpgilbert