Every day, hundreds of emails and press releases arrive in a journalist’s inbox. All of them meaningful to someone.

The challenge for the journalist is to discern which of these messages is meaningful or relevant to as many of their audience base as possible.

What will the reader consider most important or interesting to them at any given moment?

It is rare to find that ‘gem’ that has almost universal appeal.

Last week, during my daily ‘triage’ of inbox suggestions, one particularly humble, four-line message from an Australian writer and director caught my eye.

In it, an invitation to click on a trailer link for ‘Australia’s largest scale documentary of the year – Common Wealth’.

I clicked and had a visceral reaction to the trailer in the most positive of ways.

It was refreshingly needed that day, and a reply was quickly sent to the film’s writer, director and producer, Kane Guglielmi, to arrange an interview.

I felt compelled to unearth more of what I was already fairly convinced our readers would love.

Speaking with Kane last Saturday morning from his farm in rural Australia, I was not disappointed.

So, what did I learn?

Why is Common Wealth different and why should you consider grabbing a fistful of tickets, like I did, for the ANU screening later this month?

Common Wealth arose from Kane’s own personal trauma and life experiences and his sense that, particularly after the last six years, “… the world was in pain”.

“Those around me were struggling, as was I. Financially. Mentally. Socially,” Kane wrote in the film’s Director’s Statement.

“Most seemingly trying to hold it together with a brave face. But why? Why was this happening? And importantly, what could we do about it?”

With this personal quest as Kane’s north star, he “… called some mates, grabbed a camera and hit the road”.

Kane’s intention was to do his best to see if there were some answers out there.

Solutions to the wealth inequality, economic and political issues that seem to be contributing to so much of our collective anguish.

Kane was determined to revive the art of simply having ‘conversations’ with people from differing points of view, life experiences, backgrounds and political persuasions, and find a way to share what he learned.

In a way that might unite, rather than continue to divide, us.

The result?

A powerful documentary filmed and produced over four years and in breathtaking colour, across eight countries.

Common Wealth was funded predominantly by Kane and his family and the remainder from non-institutional, non-NGO, and non-government-affiliated donors.

“It was important that we did that,” he says.

Above all though, Common Wealth, promises an overwhelming message of hope.

Yes, hope.

Jordan Kerner, Producer of Clifford The Big Red Dog, The Smurfs, Charlotte’s
Web, The Mighty Ducks + many more, says,

“I haven’t been so inspired in years. Lovely documentary stylistically and deeply clear and articulate.

‘Bravo. I loved it.”

Early in Kane’s career, he was one of Australia’s youngest directors, (Home and Away, 2011), and has since always been behind the camera.

He did not initially intend to be in front of it, for Common Wealth, or include his personal journey in the film.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision from my part, because I’ve been notoriously private all my life, and a behind the camera kind of guy,” Kane said.

“At times I was wondering whether or not I’m crazy for even contemplating the idea of being the subject of the film.”

Kane says he felt that these topics needed a personal human connection though, to make sense of what might otherwise then have been deemed, “…boring at face value”.

The fullness of time, however, has revealed an increased appetite for having conversations about the now very timely issues in the film.

“My only ambition for the film is to start conversations,” says Kane.

“Not to tell people how to think, what to think, or push my personal opinions.

“But merely start conversations because we are living in times where it’s almost not encouraged to have open debate anymore.”

Kane says that it’s no wonder that we are not progressing or solving any of the problems in our world, as we’ve lost the art of having old-fashioned conversations and agreeing to disagree.

“Something which has been demonised in many ways,” he says.

Common Wealth is Kane’s way of bringing different voices into the one room where he and the viewer can hear that, “what do you think?” once again.

Arguably, from where most significant progress has emerged.

The lost art of listening, brainstorming, debating and working together for a solution.

“One of the key messages of the film is that we have far more in common than we are led to believe,” said Kane.

“There is that little ten per cent where we may differ…but on the whole, I think just about every single one of us wants largely the same thing.

“They want a life of some level of prosperity, happiness, family, be able to build something, and experience all the wonder that the world has to offer.”

Kane seems to have found a poignant way to remind us that we are not ‘right’ or ‘left’, but human beings on a more common journey than we should ever have been allowed to forget.

Common Wealth is screening at Kambri Cinema at the ANU on Friday 26 June.

For tickets, visit events.humanitix.com/common-wealth-act-premiere

View the full interview between Bernie and Kane below.