Lara Damiani

Lara Damiani is a passionate documentary film-maker who has directed, produced and distributed documentary films for television and industry. She is an inspiring finder-of-hope and teller-of-stories, who cares deeply about her subjects and the characters she brings to life on film. She has worked in Cambodia, India, Thailand, China, Burma and Tibet, and with indigenous communities across central Australia and in the Top End. Her television credits include "Tibet’s Cry for Freedom", a portrayal of Tibet’s struggle between autonomy and independence. This film won acclaim and included original, first-hand interviews by Lara with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Prime Minister (Professor Samdhong Rinpoche), and exiled Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng. Lara also interviewed many Tibetan political prisoners including Ama Adhe who spent 28 years in prison and managed to interview outspoken Independence activist Lhasang Tsering who broke a 3 year media silence to talk with her. Lara also produced a 120 minute feature DVD about the Dalai Lama called "The Man in Maroon" using excerpts of her interview with the Dalai Lama and interviews with famous musicians who talk about his relevance to our world today. Lara’s current initiative is 1000 Stories of Hope. You can find out more here: http://startsomegood.com/1000storiesofhope

Prior to her filmmaking career, Lara did a few different things. At 23, she was the youngest female Executive Officer in the Australian fishing industry. For her work here, she received a Career Achievement Award from the Federal Government and was a runner up in the Young Achievers Award. She was Executive Officer of the SA Fishing Industry Training Council, established the SA Fishing Industry Skills Centre which she also managed for a while and which was the precursor to Australia's only national seafood and maritime industry organisation - the Australian Fisheries Academy. She left this heady career to live for a while in France where she wrote two novels and returned to Australia to work as a freelance communications professional. It was in 2007 that she gave up this juicy little career and sold most of her belongings to begin a new life as a jeans and t-shirt wearing social change documentary filmmaker.

Lara is currently available to be deployed for an overseas assignment. Passport is ready. Gear is packed !