by FilmInk Staff
Sydney-based writer and emerging director Gus King is raising funds for her debut short film, Daughters, a psychological thriller set in outback Australia.
After spending the past five years working in art department across major film and television productions, including Mad Max: Furiosa, Play Dirty, Greyhound for Apple TV+, and Heartbreak High for Netflix, King is now taking the leap into directing her own work.
Daughters follows a journalist who becomes entangled in a female-led cult while investigating a story in the Australian outback. Through the heightened world of a psychological thriller, the film explores themes of female connection, identity, justice, power, and the confronting realities of gendered violence.
“The film came from a question I couldn’t stop thinking about: what would happen if women behaved the way society so often accepts from men?” says King. “I wanted to create something bold, unsettling, and thought-provoking, a film that makes people question their own moral compass.”
The project is also committed to creating opportunities for emerging Australian creatives, with a focus on supporting young filmmakers as they gain hands-on experience on an ambitious independent production.
King is currently crowdfunding to help cover essential production costs, including crew, locations, equipment, production design, and post-production. “After years of helping bring other people’s stories to life, I’m ready to take the next step and create my own,” says King. “I’m asking the community to support independent Australian filmmaking and help bring Daughters to the screen.”
Donations can be made via GoFundMe:
About Gus King
Gus King is a Sydney-based writer, emerging director, and film industry professional. Raised in the Southern Highlands, she graduated from Chevalier College in 2018 before building a career in the film and television industry. Over the past five years, she has worked in the art department across departments of Props/Set Dec art assist and scenic artist. Some of the productions she has been apart of include Mad Max: Furiosa, Play Dirty, Greyhound, Heartbreak High, and more. “Ive had the privilege of meeting and working with top directives/producers and actors. as well as the incredible crews on each and every production” Daughters will mark her debut short film as writer-director.
Film Summary
Daughters is a psychological thriller set in the Australian outback, following an ambitious journalist Abigail as she infiltrates an exclusive women’s wellness retreat in search of a story. What begins as an assignment soon becomes something far more unsettling as she discovers a secluded community built by women seeking refuge from male violence. Drawn into their philosophy of healing, sisterhood and empowerment, Abigail slowly uncovers the group’s terrifying secret: beneath its peaceful exterior lies a radical movement willing to use violence in pursuit of justice. Forced to confront the failures of the systems meant to protect women, Abigail must decide where the line between justice and vengeance truly lies.
On writing Daughters
I wrote Daughters after a night of endlessly scrolling through social media. Post after post was another story of violence against women. Different countries, different circumstances, but the same headlines. Eventually I put my phone down and realised these weren’t isolated stories on a screen they were reflections of our own lives. Our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends all know someone, or have themselves experienced gendered violence.
I found myself asking a simple but unsettling question: What if women responded with the same violence that has so often been inflicted upon them? Would people finally recognise the scale of the problem? Would society take it seriously if the roles were reversed?
Daughters isn’t a film that celebrates violence or revenge. It’s a thought experiment. It’s an exploration of what happens when people lose faith in the systems designed to protect them, and what can emerge when justice feels permanently out of reach.
I’m tired of conversations where women are expected to justify why certain behaviours are harmful, or explain what respect should already look like. So with this film, I pushed that frustration to its extreme. I wanted to create a story that unsettles audiences, not because of its violence, but because of the questions it leaves behind.
If Daughters succeeds, it won’t be because audiences agree with its characters. It will be because they leave the cinema questioning their own moral compass, challenging their assumptions, and continuing the conversation long after the credits roll. Sometimes stories don’t change minds by offering answers they change minds by asking the questions we’ve become too comfortable avoiding.
Visual style
Daughters is deeply inspired by the filmmakers and films that have shaped the way I see cinema. Visually, the film blends the dreamlike femininity and quiet unease of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides with the haunting Australian landscape of Picnic at Hanging Rock, creating a world that feels both beautiful and deeply unsettling.
The script has been heavily influenced by the bold, morally provocative writing of Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, particularly their work on The Lobster. Cinematographically, I’m drawn to the natural, poetic light of Simon Bakers film Breath, while the atmosphere and tension of Midsommar, Wake in Fright, and Birdeater have all played a role in shaping the film’s visual language.
While these works have inspired Daughters, the goal is not to imitate them but to build a distinctly Australian psychological thriller. one that captures both the beauty and isolation of the Australian landscape while telling a story that feels contemporary, original, and deeply unsettling.
Opportunities
Beyond telling an important story, Daughters is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for emerging Australian creatives and encouraging greater diversity across the film industry.
Over the past five years working on film and television productions, I’ve seen firsthand how many technical departments remain overwhelmingly male. In all that time, I’ve worked alongside only one female grip. It made me question why certain departments camera, lighting, grip, stunts, special effects, unit, and assistant directing continue to have so few women represented. I believe this isn’t about capability; it’s about visibility, access, opportunity, and outdated perceptions that some roles are “male jobs” while others are “females jobs.”
With Daughters, I want to actively create opportunities for women across every department of the production. My hope is that by building a diverse crew, we can help demonstrate that these careers are for everyone and encourage more women to pursue technical and leadership roles within the Australian screen industry.
The project also holds a special connection to my hometown of Bowral in the Southern Highlands, where I plan to film. Growing up, I had no idea the variety of careers that existed within the film industry. It wasn’t until I was 18 years old, working as an extra on Home and Away, that I realised filmmaking could become a career. That single experience completely changed the direction of my life.
By bringing Daughters to Bowral, I hope to inspire the next generation of regional Australians to see that there is a place for them in this industry. Whether as writers, directors, camera operators, designers, editors, technicians, or producers. Talent exists everywhere, and I want young people from rural communities to know that the Australian film industry is a place where they belong.
Community support
Like many independent Australian films, Daughters can only be brought to life through the support of the community. Every contribution, whether it’s $10 or a major investment, plays a vital role in turning this project from a script into a film.
We’re currently seeking support from individuals, businesses, and industry professionals who believe in championing emerging Australian talent. This could be through financial contributions, executive producing, equipment hire, catering, accommodation or simply by sharing our fundraising campaign with others. Every act of support makes a genuine difference.
This project is about more than making a short film, t’s about investing in the next generation of Australian filmmakers and proving that ambitious, independent stories can be created through the power of community.
Once completed, Daughters will premiere at a special opening night screening for our supporters before embarking on the national and international film festival circuit, where we hope to showcase not only the film itself but the incredible community that helped bring it to life
Instagram: daughters_shortfilm
