Regenerating Australia film screening to pave hopeful future for Australia
At a time when discussions about the planet’s future can leave many feeling scared, anxious and divided, a new film shows the way to a future that today’s young people can be excited about.
Regenerating Australia will be screened in Busselton and Margaret River this week, as part of a nation-wide tour of the film alongside passionate director, Damon Gameau.
Mr Gameau is the same award-winning director behind hugely successful That Sugar Film, which raised global awareness of the impact of hidden sugars on people’s health, and 2040, which told a story about the possibility that humanity could reverse global warming.
He said Regenerating Australia was created off the back of 2040, and was based off a four-months interview process with a diverse group of Australians about the future they wanted to create post COVID and the 2019/2020 bushfires.
“The insights were so terrific we decided to expand it beyond just the bushfires, and ended up asking farmers and tradies and coal workers and all sorts of Australians what kind of country they want to live in by 2030.”
Set on New Year’s Eve of December 2029, a news anchor ends the nightly bulletin with a look back at the decade ‘that could be’.
The news reports of the decade map out how Australia can transition to a fairer, cleaner, more community focused economy.
High profile journalists, politicians and business leaders are featured through out the film, with appearances from Kerry O’Brien, Sandra Sully, Gorgi Coghlan, Patrick Abboud, Larissa Behrendt and David Pocock.
The film introduces several “solutions” that cover not only changes to Australia’s energy sources, but to its democracy, respect of First Nations wisdom, transport, food production and healing relationships.
He said that while many students and young people today are filled with anxiety over fearful messaging about a dystopian future, the film paints a new picture of hope, and of what can realistically be achieved by 2030.
“So often when we talk about the future, it’s a story of sacrifice and all the things we have to give up. That doesn’t engage people,” he said.
“Let’s start painting visions of what it could be like. To give people a vision of what we could all head towards.”
He said the film highlights “points of commonality” between what different groups of people want for Australia, after people from all walks of life shared ideas that were surprisingly similar.
“You’d have farmers talking about wanting an Australia of 30 years ago, of green hills and cleaner waterways. And then you had people in the cities talking about climate action,” he said. “Finding those things that people agree on and what kind of new industries can come to some of these regions.”
The film has been launched alongside a $2 million WWF Australia fund that local communities can apply for, to get their own regeneration projects off the ground. Locals are invited to bring their own innovative ideas to the screening, where Mr Gameau will start a discussion with communities about how they can lead their own projects.
“Australia is going to go through an enormous transition in the next 10 to 20 years, and there’s going to be lots of money made. How do we make sure that money stays in the communities and doesn’t get siphoned off to a handful of people?.”
The film will screen at Orana Cinemas Busselton at 6.30pm on May 16, and at Margaret River HEART at 6.30pm, on May 17. Tickets are free for under 18s or $20, available at www.theregenerators.co