Creating one’s own work as an actor is not always easy, though very possible when thinking outside the box and can pay off brilliantly!
I came across a truly inspiring article about Poppy Stockell, director and star of the award-winning documentary ‘Searching 4 Sandeep’. Stockell documented her online romance with British woman Sandeep Virdi, for the film that recently screened on ABC1.
Aged 28 and disillusioned with the Sydney dating scene, the filmmaker from Sydney’s east decided to combine her career with her search for a girlfriend.
The film opened to a sold-out crowd at the Sydney Film Festival last year and has played at numerous international festivals since.
…A compelling story about two women overcoming distance, homophobia and cultural barriers to fall in love.
Stockell packed up her life to move to London to be close to Virdi, all while cameras were rolling, though now they reside in Bondi together.
…For all the courage Stockell showed in making this film, it is Virdi’s courage in coming out to her traditional Indian family that makes for a most compelling drama.
“I decided to tell my mum I’m making this film and I need you to be in it because we’re telling the world something that could help other people. She watched it and she cried and spoke about it to her friends and that’s how she basically started to come round about my sexuality”.
“She said to Sandeep: ‘I wish you’d told me you were making a film, I would have worn my best sari,”‘ Stockell recalls with a smile.
To read full story go to the website: http://www.smh.com.au/
