UniSC Graduate Brings her Story to the Big Screen

Jane Larkin played a character inspired by herself in her new movie

(Source: UniSC Media)

On June 20, Netflix AUS/NZ premiered a movie titled The Edge.

Written, produced, directed and co-starred by UniSC graduate and elite sprinter Jane Larkin, and partially filmed on the Sippy Downs campus, the 103-minute feature tells the story of three female athletes navigating love and controversy while pursuing their respective elite sports.

Larkin purposefully cast real-life athletes with little acting experience to heighten the film’s authenticity. While she had appeared in multiple productions before, The Edge marked Larkin’s first major acting role.

The cast also features numerous extras, including current and former UniSC High Performance Student Athlete (HPSA) students such as Russel Taib, Sarah Bradbury, Riley Thomson, Jessica Haig, Shaun Smith, Aiden Smith and Aston Tagg.

Larkin, who graduated with her fourth UniSC degree – a Doctor of Creative Arts – in 2023, had previously completed degrees in Arts, Education and Communication.

Larkin cast members of UniSC’s HSPSA program to fill in various roles for her film

These achievements earned her a finalist spot in the 2023 Outstanding Alumni

Awards. The Edge debuted earlier this year at the Gold Coast Film Festival, but the concept first surfaced in 2016, when Larkin was only 15.

“I was a young female sprinter watching sports films dominated by male protagonists, and I wanted to see myself represented on screen,” she said.

That vision stayed with her through years of training and study, culminating in the formation of her production company, 3Lite Productions, four years ago.

The company became the launchpad for the film’s development and eventual premiere. “I’ve poured my heart and soul into this film, which is grounded in truth, in lived experience, and in the values I believe in.”

The film was partially shot at the Sippy Downs campus.

During her studies, Jane was supported by UniSC’s HPSA program, which she

joined in 2017 when it was first introduced.

“I loved being part of UniSC’s HPSA program and made sure I grabbed every

opportunity it provided,” she said.

The program allowed her to balance the demands of sprint training with rigorous

academic study – something which proved essential in bringing her film to life.

Larkin isn’t the first UniSC graduate to carve her way into the cinema industry,

following in the steps of Lucy Laliberte (art graduate, class of 2000) who since graduating has climbed her way up the ranks in Pixar, where she works now as a Feature Film Production Manager, having contributed to animated movies like Toy Story 3, Inside Out, and Coco.