MEDIA RELEASE
16th
July, 2010
Filmmaker Lara Damiani returned recently from a filming trip in Alice Springs which she says has
made her more resolved than ever to continue her commitment to her new independent feature
documentary "Banjo's War".
"Banjo's War" will tell the story of the Alyawarr People of Central Australia and their walk-off protest
against the Government's Intervention as they carve a whole new community out of mulga scrub at
their freehold land at Honeymoon Bore, 350 km north east of Alice Springs.
"Listening to the stories of the Traditional Owners and other Indigenous people last week made me
really understand their struggle" said Damiani. "The story of Banjo and his community wanting self-
determination and creating their own self-sustainable community outside of the reach of the
Government is such a powerful one. It will send a message to not only the Government, but to
other indigenous communities as well as white Australia and I think this will be a really significant
turning point in history" she said.
A video clip summarising her trip to Alice Springs can be viewed
In 2008, Lara released her independent documentary on the Tibetan freedom struggle. She met
and interviewed the Dalai Lama, managed to get Australian actress Kerry Armstrong to donate her
time to narrate the documentary; got stopped and questioned by Chinese military while filming
inside Tibet and was followed closely by Chinese police cars while filming in Tiananmen Square.
She directed/produced and did the camerawork as well as distribution. "Tibet's Cry for Freedom"
has aired on two international television stations, screened at 14 international film festivals and is
being distributed by one of Australia and New Zealand's largest educational DVD distributors. It
was the first film she's made.
Taking the message of non-mainstream causes to a mainstream audience is what drives Damiani.
Despite still being in debt from her Tibet documentary, Damiani is passionate about her new film
which is a story she says "needs to be told".
At 23, Damiani was the youngest female executive officer in the Australian fishing industry. She left
that career to live in France for a while to purse her dream of being a writer. That then lead to
finding a new medium for her passion for social justice issued - filmmaking.
Lara is now looking to raise the next stage of her budget to cover the costs of a trip out to
Honeymoon Bore in September for a week with her team as well as post production and research.
Donations to Lara's documentary are tax deductible and Lara is keen to find supporters interested
in helping with the next stage of production.
For more information, including the two minute teaser trailer for "Banjo's War" feature
lara@thinkfilms.com.au.
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