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 intimate observational documentaries exploring regional communities and Australian subcultures. After working as an offline editor across Sydney and Melbourne from 2005-2014, she founded Torchlight Media, specialising in documentary and tourism storytelling.
Her feature documentary THE CARNIVAL (2023), filmed over eight years with producer Tom Zubrycki, premiered at the 70th Sydney Film Festival and was praised by The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Monthly, which named it one of the top Australian films at MIFF. The film is currently streaming on SBS and earned Isabel a 2023 Walkley Award nomination.
Her earlier films include BEING FRANK (2015) and COREY THE WARRIOR (2017), which screened internationally and was a finalist at both the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and the Cannes International Film Festival on Disability. She was also a finalist at the 2018 AIDC Viceland ‘Australiana’ live pitch and selected for the 2020 Director Pathways Program.
Based on the NSW South Coast, Isabel is passionate about telling regional Australian stories. She is currently completing the documentary THE LAST OF THE LOCALS, developing the feature coming-of-age THE RED FALCON, and is collaborating with screenwriter Natasha Le Petit on the psychological thriller EYES ON ME.
Isabel Darling, 2024