AN INDEPENDENT Bromley actress is producing her first film to stand up against the lack of roles available to older women.

After growing frustrated by the limited roles, actress turned filmmaker, Vanessa Bailey, 44, is taking matters into her own hands to explore an unconventional romance for a woman over forty.

Filled with endearingly awkward British humour and subtle emotional depth, ‘Three Days’ tells a  unique ‘boy meets girl’ story involving an age gap romance about two people from completely different worlds, trying desperately not to fall in love with each other.

Vanessa came together with a young, upcoming actor named Richard Perryman, to write the script with them both taking lead roles.

Speaking about the scriptwriting process, Vanessa said: “We’ve had the luxury of being able to grow our characters together whilst writing”.

The female character, Sophie is a very intelligent woman embarrassed by her feelings for toy-boy James, played by Richard, who is significantly younger than her.

Similarly, James is surprised to develop feelings for an older woman, with events unfolding across three days, determining whether they will or won’t follow their hearts.

With a close collaboration and strong screen chemistry, the story presents an authentic account of how the pair find themselves wrestling with their feelings for each other.

Vanessa added: “What’s so great about writing as actors is that you know what you don’t have to write.

“You know what can just be felt by the actors, and in turn, the audience.”

The film has attracted award-winning crew, including double BAFTA Cymru winning cinematographer, Huw T Walters, and Darren S Cook, a Cannes ‘Coup de Coeur’ Award winning director. 

Chris Jones, co-author of the world-renowned filmmaking bible, The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook, recently invited Vanessa to contribute in a guest article for his blog.

Talking about the message being sent out with Vanessa’s work, he said: “It’s the urge to create that is so powerful, and if actors can channel that in new directions, it will be incredible”.

The film has been in development for over a year and is due to be filmed this summer in Bromley, Cardiff and central London.