Illuminating Stories Through Film and Documentary.
Founded in 2014, Torchlight Media is a Batemans Bay-based production company dedicated to crafting compelling films and documentaries. With a focus on storytelling that resonates, we specialise in creating cinematic works that explore human experiences, regional landscapes, and cultural narratives. From concept development to production, our team delivers tailored strategies and visually striking films that engage and inspire audiences.
Torchlight Media has collaborated with esteemed organisations including the ABC, SBS, Foxtel, Tourism Australia, Thredbo Resort, Destination NSW, The Foundation for Young Australians, Hilltops Region, Lion Nathan, and local government agencies areas across Australia. Our base on the South Coast of NSW enables us to provide exceptional filmmaking services to the Batemans Bay region, as well as the Shoalhaven, Illawarra & Southern Tablelands, and Canberra regions. As passionate advocates for regional filmmakers, we are committed to fostering a thriving film industry in this picturesque part of the world.
Isabel Darling, Director.
Isabel Darling is an Australian director and producer known for her intimate observational documentaries that explore subcultures, regional communities, and transformative personal stories. Her work is celebrated for its empathy, insight, and ability to capture nuanced human experiences.
Isabel began her career as an offline editor, working with production companies across Sydney and Melbourne between 2005 and 2014. During this time, she contributed to a wide range of TV commercials, agency campaigns, and high‑level tourism content. In 2014, she founded Torchlight Media, which specialises in documentary storytelling and high‑quality content production.
Her feature documentary THE CARNIVAL (2023), filmed over eight years in collaboration with producer Tom Zubrycki, premiered at the 70th Sydney Film Festival. The film was widely acclaimed in The Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald, while The Monthly hailed it as one of the “top two Australian films” at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The documentary, currently streaming on SBS, earned Isabel a nomination for a prestigious Walkley Award in 2023.
Earlier work includes the internationally screened short film BEING FRANK (2015), and COREY THE WARRIOR (2017), which was a finalist at both the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and the Cannes International Film Festival on Disability. Isabel has been a finalist at the 2018 AIDC Viceland ‘Australiana’ live‑pitch and was selected for the 2020 Director Pathways Program.
Based on the South Coast of NSW, Isabel is a passionate advocate for regional filmmakers and is dedicated to telling stories that highlight unique Australian characters, landscapes, and communities. She is currently completing the feature‑documentary THE LAST OF THE LOCALS, which follows a transformative winter season in the alpine village of Thredbo, capturing the lives of long-term residents and the challenges of a rapidly changing community - a project rooted in her own experience living there and currently supported by the Shark Island Foundation and Screen NSW.
In addition, Isabel is developing the limited TV drama series THE RED FALCON, a narrative project that continues her exploration of complex human stories in distinctive Australian settings. She is writing her first narrative feature film MAMMALIAN and finalising post-production on her short film LITTLE GIFTS, continuing to balance documentary, narrative, and short-form storytelling.
With a career spanning nearly two decades, Isabel is recognised for her human approach to filmmaking, bringing regional and overlooked Australian stories to national and international audiences. Her work consistently champions unique perspectives, giving voice to those often absent from mainstream media while maintaining a strong commitment to cinematic craft and storytelling.
Isabel Darling, 2024