Documentary filmmaker Damon Gameau is on a quest for climate-change solutions and he's bringing the challenge to Canberra on Monday.
The maker of That Sugar Film will present Regenerating Australia at Dendy Cinema, followed by a panel discussing designed to motivate audience members.
Featuring David Pockock, Kerry O'Brien, Sandra Sully, Gorgi Coghlan, Tim Flannery and Larissa Behrendt, the short film asks the question; what would Australia look like by 2030 if social and climate issues were addressed now?
The film presents ways Australia could transition to a fairer, cleaner economy, including a high-speed rail network, solar gardens for apartment owners and reforestation programs based on First Nations knowledge.
It is based on interviews with Australians who shared their hopes for the country's future and presents solutions to current environment problems as a mock news report.
In conjunction with the film's release, World Wildlife Fund Australia has provided $2 million in seed funding to support innovation to reverse environmental damage.
Mr Gameau, who lives in the Northern Rivers town of Broken Head, has been on a national tour for several weeks encouraging Australians to join or start grassroots solutions.
He said the screenings have highlighted ideas and pointed to ways people could get involved.
Mr Gameau said after three weeks of tours and 410 screening requests, there has been more than 100 submissions.
"I would say that 80 of them are really fantastic," he said.
Mr Gameau said a school in a lower-socio economic suburb of Geelong had introduced the idea of bringing regional farmers to work with them on a patch of land at school.
The producers would teach the kids about regenerative farming and the children could take home vegetable to their parents.
While the film will be screened in Canberra during week two of the election campaign, Mr Gameau said it's timeliness was not intentional.
He said the opening night of Regenerating Australia in Sydney had taken place five days after the first floods hit the Northern Rivers.
"I had those first four days of living in a community with no petrol and food and no internet or phone," he said.
"Seeing that level of self organising and what happened and how the community got together was incredibly inspiring."
Mr Gameau said having made the difficult decision to leave, his town had then been hit hard by the more recent downpours.
His two daughters had to be rescued by a friend on a longboard while the floods prevented him from flying home to be with them, he said.
"I'm definitely feeling the reality of the world we find ourselves in," Mr Gameau said.
"I think the whole community's adrenaline has worn off and there's a lot of mental anguish that's going to come out in the months ahead.
"It's really at breaking point now in terms of people's frustration and wanting change.
"I think this election will be interesting to see how it's shifted people in our particular electorate."
Mr Gameau said climate change was distressing, however, positive change was taking place all around the world.
"I would say, even in our own country, what's happening with our democratic process at the moment with independence joining the race, it's a sign that there's a shift going on," he said.
"People are frustrated, they want change, they want things to be different. So there's reasons for optimism."
Mr Gameau said many people were at a point where it had started to feel too late or too hard, which was a dangerous place to be.
"It's understandable and it's normal to feel that," he said.
"But we've got to keep showing people all the things we can do to start turning us around quickly, because that nihilism can be very paralysing."
