Truro-born film-maker Yazmin Joy Vigus has looked to her roots to inspire a new short movie putting a modern twist on local legends.

Inspired by her own experiences, Mermaids is a black comedy/ drama which tells the story of two former childhood best friends Margo and Celeste who, in the their late 20s, are struggling to come to terms with their under-achievements. Single, broke and struggling to keep their heads above water, they find each other back in their hometown in Cornwall at the same hen-party dressed as a Giant Starfish and Human Kelp, where they are finally forced to confront the events that destroyed their friendship.

Explaining why she was drawn to the script Yazmin said, “I have definitely felt the sting of feeling like I was underachieving while everyone else was ‘succeeding’. Margo and Celeste are complicated women whose lives haven’t gone the way they’d expected and my hope is that this story sends the message that it’s okay to be figuring it out and not have your life completely together: it’s okay to be a mermaid.

“I want to depict the Cornwall I know, but is rarely shown on screen: a place that is wildly beautiful and rich in lively and interesting characters, yet often isolated, rundown, and neglected by the mainland. I want to show what it’s like for young people who have grown up in Cornwall, the beauty but equally the real human struggles of these characters and use the talent we have in our team to bring this to the screen. I hope that the universal themes of friendship, coming home and finding where you belong connects with a wider audience.”

The film’s producer Essex-born Jaz Wasson said: “Many millennials base their self-esteem on what they have achieved. They hold a toxic belief that things are not worth doing unless there is going to be an outcome or result. This mode of thinking really sucks the joy and pleasure out of life.

"We are more than our successes and failures, and once we realise that - like Margo and Celeste in Mermaids - we can stop comparing ourselves to others and embrace the things that truly mean something like moments with our loved ones.”

To help with fundraising, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mermaids-short-film and find out more information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mermaidsthefilm and on

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