Podcast // Damon Gameau
Throughout our discussion, Damon shares his unique perspective on how storytelling through film can be a powerful tool for education and inspiring change. We explore the challenges of tackling complex environmental issues through the medium of documentary filmmaking, and how Damon balances entertainment with hard-hitting facts to engage audiences.
A significant part of our conversation focuses on Damon's deep appreciation for art and poetry as catalysts for social change. He passionately discusses how these creative forms can touch people on an emotional level, often driving change more effectively than raw data alone. Damon encourages other artists to use their talents to engage with pressing social and environmental issues, emphasizing the unique power that creative expression has in shaping public opinion and inspiring action.
As is tradition on the Luka Lesson Podcast, I close the episode with a performance of a new poem I've written, inspired by our conversation. Titled 'What Will Become Of Us?', this piece reflects on the themes of environmental responsibility, human potential, and our collective future - embodying the very intersection of art and activism that Damon champions.
This episode offers my people a blend of environmental education, creative inspiration, and a call to action. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, an environmental enthusiast, an artist looking to make a difference, or simply someone concerned about the future of our planet, Damon Gameau's insights and experiences provide food for thought and motivation for positive change.
In this thought-provoking episode of the Luka Lesson Podcast, I sit down with Damon Gameau, a multifaceted talent known for his work as an actor, documentary filmmaker, and activist.
More than his impressive credentials, Damon stands out as a genuinely good human, whose passion for positive change is evident in every aspect of his work and life.
Our conversation delves deep into Damon's current focus: sustainability, climate change, and environmental advocacy though producing incredible films that open the heart and mind..
As these issues become increasingly urgent on a global scale, Damon's insights offer both a sobering look at our current situation and an inspiring vision for potential solutions.
Key points discussed in this episode:
• Damon's journey from actor to documentary filmmaker and activist
• The making and impact of 'That Sugar Film' and '2040'
• Current challenges in sustainability and climate change
• Innovative approaches to environmental advocacy
• The role of filmmaking in raising awareness about critical issues
• Damon's vision for a sustainable future
• The importance of individual action in addressing global challenges
• Damon's love for art and poetry as forms of social change
• His encouragement for artists to engage with pressing social issues
My people, tune in to gain a new perspective on environmental issues, the power of documentary filmmaking, the role of art in social change,
and to ponder the question that's on all of our minds: What will become of us?
W H A T W I L L B E C O M E O F U S ?
We ask ourselves this question
in the midst of this mess
as our loneliness lowers our standards
and we start to search for answers
In the cynical speeches of political ventriloquists
spewing out their old falsified syllabus
blaming anyone but themselves
from their own scientists
to immigrants
ignoring the warnings of Indigenous Nations
and their limitless resilience and patience
We must ask ourselves this question:
what will become of us?
And across billions of screens
and millions of live streams
I have found no answers
So I switched off
I sat in the dirt
I turned to the earth
and I asked her: what will become of us?
And she answered
in a breath of wind
in a million new shoots
growing from the ashes
of the bushfires
She answered
in the death of a deer
soon to become food
for the forest floor
She answered
in the jet white crows
lined up in rows
guarding the clouds
from their eucalyptus branches
She answered
in a full-bodied
and pregnant sunset
with her orange lipstick
and bright pink cheeks
ready to give birth to the stars...
I asked her this question
and she answered:
"What will become of us?" she said
"whatever you decide to make of us"
And when she said that
the people stood up
they felt her rumbling
within their bones
bushfires finally burning
within their rib cages
hearts in their fists
sparks on their tongues
their breath hot with the songs
of revolution
eye sockets luminous
and lasered
backs straight
ancestors hands
resting upon their shoulders
spirits high
and rising
high enough to see
the links between:
Ecocide and genocide
herbicide and homicide
occupied territories
and those most terrorised
women’s rights, civil rights
Trans Lives, the climate strike
Problems being globalised
solutions becoming localised
marching through the belly of the beast
the underbelly of severe oversight
so it is time for us to decide
What will become of us?
Whatever we decide to make of us
Through our actions
the future
will be revealed.
-Luka Lesson
Luka is a poet, rapper, Australian Poetry Slam Champion and Ancient History buff who can’t keep his hands off the classics. Luka has toured extensively throughout the world and is often bouncing ideas off Athenian columns and global politics as he finds his way, giving commentary on life and writing as a modern philosopher, performer and full-time poet.
Luka Lesson draws on his creative powers to either create new poetry inspired by conversations with guests from across the planet, or do a deep dive into his own catalogue of poetry and rap verses, using them as a sounding board for new conversations. His own Greek heritage and the histories of the people he speaks to often filter through, as well as his love of story, mythology, social change and visions for the future.
