deeperinsightsthat could not be accommodated in the film
tobecovered.
Gameauhashighlightedtheeffectivenessofthefeature-
film format’s‘sharedexperience’factor (which,coincidentally,
alignswiththecommunity-actionthemesexploredby 2040 ):
‘I want peopleto come out, watchit together.Let’s have a de-
bate.Whatcanyoudoin yourcommunity?’^12 Thereis certainly
a sensethat Gameausees the film as only the beginningof
thelarger 2040 project,withtheformer’sbite-sizeapproach
perhapslendingitselfmoretoinspiringaudiencestotakeac-
tion.AndGameauandhisteamhaveensuredthatviewersare
givena strongimpetustogobeyondthedocumentary,under-
takefurtherresearchandadoptsustainablelifestylemeasures.
2040 ’s officialwebsiteinvitesusers to createan ‘actionplan’
basedon the five key themesexploredin the film.^132040
is alsobeingmarketedasaneducationalresource:special
screeningswereheldforteacherspriorto 2040 ’s theatrical
release,studentswereinvitedtojoinpost-screeningdiscus-
sions around the country, and the filmmakers have teamedup with educationorganisationCool Australiato producefree
2040 -relatedteachingresources.Followingthecompletionof
itsAustraliantheatricalrun,distributorMadmanhasevenof-
feredtoorganiseprivate,schoolandcommunityscreenings.^14
Aswithanygoodtoolforadvocacyoreducation,thetext
itselfis justa springboardforexploringfurtherthemes,issues
andapproaches.Thisemphasisongrassrootslearning– which
linksbacktoGameau’svisitstoschoolsin halfa dozencoun-
triesandinterviewswithprimaryschool–agedchildrenabout
their visionsfor the future,as seen in the film – puts 2040 in
frontof thekeyaudiencewhowill,hopefully,becomepartof the
‘Regeneration’.In fact, the framingof the action aroundVelvet’s
comingof age may be viewedas the film’s key message:we
can’tjusthopethat‘newleaders’willemerge;instead,wemust
nourishandnurturethemtobecomethoseleaders.Thisalso
providescluestounderstandingtheseeminglydisparatetheme
oftheempowermentofgirls– ratherthanbeing‘onlymargin-
allyrelated’,asDaltonputsit,^15 thisissueis aboutensuring
equalaccesstoleadershiproles.Gameauadmitsin 2040 that
hewas‘caughtoffguard’bythenotionthatchangingtheway
weeducateandsupportwomen,whotakeonhouseholdand
childrearingresponsibilitiesin manycultures,is a cornerstone
of a sustainablefuture.Like many of us in the developedworld,
hetakesthefactthathisdaughterwillbeabletocompleteher
schoolingandhaveaccesstosafereproductivehealthcarefor
granted.But the realitythat 130 milliongirls aroundthe world
willnotreceiveaneducation^16 is a soberingthought,andone
thatreinforcestheneedtoreversethistrendtoensurethat
it is not just youngwomen– and men – from privilegedback-
grounds who can ascend to such positions of prominence.Equippedwith new knowledgeand skills, our youngerpeo-
plewillbebetterabletoactontheirhopesanddreamsfor
thefuture,whetherbyimplementingtheinnovativeapproaches
championedin 2040 orenactingthosefromelsewhere.Ofthe
childrenhe interviewedfor the film, Gameausays that he was
‘inspiredbywhatsomeofthemweresayingandthinking,and
inspiredbythethoughtofthemgettinga positionofpower
in thefuture’.^17 Perhaps 2040 ’s realoptimismliesin itstrust- onethatGameauclearlybelievesweshouldshare– in the
nextgeneration,whoarealready able to see a world beyond
the one we currently live in.
https://whatsyour2040.comRebekahBrammerteachesEnglishasa secondlanguage
in Brisbane,and has studieddrama,film and television,and
appliedlinguistics.ShehasbeencontributingtoMetroand
Screen Educationsince 2008. mEndnotes(^1) CainNoble-Davies,‘ 2040 ’,FilmInk, https://www.filmink.
com.au/reviews/2040/, accessed15 May 2019.
(^2) StephenDalton,‘ 2040 : Film Review| Berlin2019’,The
HollywoodReporter, 15 February2019,https://www.
hollywoodreporter.com/review/2040-review-1187090,
accessed15 May 2019.
(^3) KathleenParker,‘Nothingin Today’sHeadlinesCompares
to the ComingCatastrophe’,TheWashingtonPost, 7 May
2019,https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the
-end-of-the-everything-may-be-what-weve-been-needing/
2019/05/07/902027ac-7101-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a
_story.html, accessed15 May 2019.
(^4) DamonGameau, 2040 post-screening Q&A, Palace Cinemas,
Brisbane,6 May 2019.
(^5) DavidRitter, 2040 post-screeningQ&A,ibid.
(^6) See SuzanneGoldenberg,‘ExxonKnewof ClimateChangein
1981,EmailSays – but It FundedDeniersfor 27 MoreYears’,
TheGuardian, 9 July 2015,https://www.theguardian.com/
environment/2015/jul/08/exxon-climate-change-1981-climate
-denier-funding, accessed21 May 2019.
(^7) Gameau, 2040 post-screening Q&A, op. cit.
(^8) Ritter,op. cit.
(^9) See Luke Buckmaster,‘ 2040 Review– an Idealist’sVisionof
a HealthyEarth’,TheGuardian, 4 April 2019,https://www.
theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/04/2040-review-an-idealists
-vision-of-a-healthy-earth, accessed15 May 2019.
(^10) Gameau, 2040 post-screeningQ&A,ibid.
(^11) DamonGameau,2040:A Handbook for the Regeneration,
Pan Macmillan,Sydney,2019.
(^12) DamonGameau,quotedin JamesMottram,‘DamonGameau:
That 2040 Film’,FilmInk, 3 April 2019,https://www.filmink.com.
au/damon-gameau-2040-film/, accessed15 May 2019.
(^13) Seehttps://whatsyour2040.com/activate-your-plan/,
accessed15 May 2019.
(^14) ‘FrequentlyAskedQuestions’,‘ 2040 ’, MadmanFilmswebsite,
https://madmanfilms.com.au/2040film/2040-faqs/, accessed
15 May 2019.
(^15) Dalton,op.cit.
(^16) See ‘Girls’Education’,The WorldBank,25 September2017,
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation, accessed
15 May 2019.
(^17) Gameau, quoted in Mottram, op. cit.
Aswithanygoodtoolforadvocacy
oreducation,thetextitselfis justa
springboardforexploringfurther
themes,issuesandapproaches.This
emphasisongrassrootslearning...
puts 2040 infrontofthekeyaudience
whowill,hopefully,becomepart
ofthe‘Regeneration’.
80 • Metro Magazine 201 | © ATOM