A young filmmaker? She's 16 going on 40 - Age is just a number to Anne-Sophie Dutoit, writer, director and star of 'Faded Memories.'

Anne-Sophie Dutoit ran into the same snags and pitfalls the majority of first-time independent filmmakers encounter -- trying to persuade financiers to take a chance on her. It took her a full two years to get money to make "Faded Memories," a drama about a teenager with a phobia of being touched by others.

But what makes Dutoit's experience unique is that she was all of 14 when she wrote "Faded Memories" and 16 when she made the film, budgeted at under $1 million. And not only did she write and direct the film -- leading an ensemble cast and an experienced crew of about 60 -- she also stars in the drama.

"I've always been an outgoing person," Dutoit says. "I just do what I have to do; nothing really impresses me. We're all people, so for me age does not matter. You can be 16, 21, 50 -- age is something to keep order in life. I think you can be who you are at any age."

She got her first experience directing film at 15 when she attended the teen program at the New York Film Academy. "Marked," the seven-minute film she shot while attending the program, won some awards. "That's when I realized I wanted to direct."

Dutoit, the granddaughter of famed conductor Charles Dutoit, is not lacking in confidence. She has her own production company: Anne-Sophie Films, headed by her father, Ivan Dutoit, who is one of the producers of "Faded Memories," which is scheduled to open in limited release in spring or early summer. And on her MySpace page and her official website, there are clips of her speaking fluent French on a Gallic TV talk show; receiving a film award in Swansea, England, for "Marked"; and directing her cast and crew on "Faded Memories" like she was an old pro.

And she was so determined to make "Faded Dreams" a reality, Dutoit even made a short version of it, "Kara's File," to induce the money men -- private financiers from Montreal who her father says believe in his daughter's ability.

This late afternoon in the Encino home of her editor, Zack Arnold, Dutoit is sitting on the sofa in his editing room, working on a romantic scene between her character of Cassandra and 22-year-old Brock Kelly ("Days of Our Lives") who plays her love interest, Lucas. Just like any teenager, Dutoit blushes when asked if this is her first on-screen kiss. "No," she says with a giggle.