A Love of Stories

Since he was very young, Luke Mazzaferro has had a deep passion for storytelling, particularly stories that stay with an audience long after the lights come up.

“I love stories that make you feel more connected, that provide genuine or challenging insight into the human experience, or stories that make you believe anything is possible,” he said.

At school, he loved Drama and was one of the first Cranbrook students to be invited to perform at OnStage, the annual showcase of exemplary NSW HSC Drama performances.

“I loved performing and getting lost in characters or made-up situations. I loved seeing the reactions of audiences as they were being challenged or moved.”

Luke is now a partner at FINCH, a film production company that creates documentaries, feature films, TV commercials, live experiences, digital content, and social good initiatives such as the STEM education platform CREATABLE and wildlife fund The Lion’s Share, which is managed in partnership with the UNDP.

FINCH’s work has been recognized with top honors, including an Academy Award Nomination, an International Emmy Nomination, multiple Gold Cannes Lions, the Grand Prix for Good, numerous Australian Production Company of the Year awards, as well as two D&AD Black Pencils and several Yellow Pencils.

Luke was a writer and producer on the feature documentary Machine, which tackled the ethical dilemmas and realities of current Artificial Intelligence technologies. He was a Development Producer on the Australian neo-western Red Hill, directed by long-time colleague and friend Patrick Hughes. This connection led to him working for months in Bulgaria, where Hughes directed The Expendables 3.

Luke recalls many ‘pinch yourself’ moments since entering the industry.

“Sitting on set in Bulgaria with Sylvester Stallone rewriting dialogue while shooting The Expendables 3, along with my mate Patrick who is also one of the directors we represent at FINCH, was hilarious and amazing,” he said. “I was working with all the childhood action movie heroes my family idolized—Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Statham, Banderas… it was bonkers.”

A Fire Inside

Making A Fire Inside has been a career highlight. It was an official selection at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival, had a national cinema release in October, and was shortlisted for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Best Australian Documentary.

A Fire Inside weaves together stories of individuals and families devastated by the 2019-2020 bushfires. The film shows terrifying, awe-inspiring footage of the fires and interviews with individuals—from farmers to volunteer firefighters to pensioners—affected in different ways by these traumatic events.

For instance, volunteer firefighter Nathan Barnden relives the night he saved seven strangers from their burning house but came back to the local station to hear he had lost his uncle and cousin, who had died defending their property.

More importantly, A Fire Inside stays on ‘after the news’, covering the aftermath—the cost of recovery once the trauma set in. There’s a special focus on the community of Balmoral Village in the Southern Highlands. Cranbrook family Helena Wong, her husband Justin Kam, and son Gabriel (a Year 12 boarder) are shown attempting to rebuild their lives after losing everything. In a particularly moving scene, the family attempts to clear land so they can build a new house—unforgiving, back-breaking work. Helena and Justin, like many in the film, are open about the hard road to recovery and the long-term effects of trauma.

“Helena, Justin, and Gabriel have been wonderful, trusting, and courageous in choosing to share their story,” said Luke. “I do feel for the class of 2020-21 having to complete the HSC with all the disruptions from COVID-19. And, of course, Gabriel has also had the enduring experience of the fires. It’s a multi-faceted disruption that can’t be underestimated. But he’s an incredibly resilient, caring, and talented guy. Inspiring to see.”

There is also a strong focus on resilience—on the desire to keep going. Paula Zaja, who set up Our Community Pantry in Bargo, a food rescue initiative that fed families and volunteers throughout and beyond the bushfire crisis, talks openly about her own experiences with trauma after her experience of domestic violence.

“As soon as you help others, you stop being a victim,” she says in the film.

Giving Back

“Before I made the film, I didn’t know much at all about the RFS or that the overwhelming majority of firefighters in Australia are volunteers. Making this film, I came away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of how important it is to give back to your community, or any community, no matter your skillset. For a brief moment, despite the chaos and political noise, the best of humanity was on display. Differences of all sorts went out the window.”

Coming to Cranbrook

Luke came to Cranbrook in Year 9.

“It was a significant culture shock, to be honest,” he said. “It was very different to my previous school in Kogarah, and Bellevue Hill is very different to the St George area, where I grew up. I interviewed for two independent schools, but when I walked into Cranbrook, I just knew it was the right place. The talk of fostering the individual and the more relaxed environment felt right for me.”

Luke is grateful for the way he was supported in his passion for drama and film.

“Cranbrook really walked the talk when it came to fostering the individual. For instance, I didn’t do Maths for the HSC. I respect it, but my brain just isn’t wired for it! And Cranbrook allowed me not to do it so that I could focus on what I was passionate about. At that time, it was the only school I knew of anecdotally that allowed its students to make that choice.”

His Drama teacher Matthew Aris was also significant.

“He really helped challenge and navigate the awkward rollercoaster of those later teenage years. He was a great ally. He also cast me as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet after I’d been overlooked for major roles in other plays. I was nervous, but he said, ‘I won’t let you fumble it, but you have to work hard and be open.’ It was a very rewarding experience. I thank him for backing me.”

It was at the School’s Year 10 Careers Night that Luke formed connections that landed him his first industry job straight after the HSC. Greg Stone knew Luke was “laser-focused” on film and acting and arranged for a meeting with Director Nick Robertson (OC 89 and father of a current Year 12 student, Van Robertson).

“At Careers Night, I nervously handed Nick a VHS of my short films,” said Luke. “He graciously watched them and then called me up and offered me work experience on some big TV commercials he was directing at the time.” Luke stayed in touch, and after further work experience after the HSC, he was offered a full-time position. “I was 17 and beyond excited,” said Luke. “Nick opened the door for me into the industry, and we became fast friends.”

Advice for Cranbrook Boys

Luke believes that Cranbrook boys who want to get into the industry need to “seize opportunities, be hungry, and work really hard.”

“The beauty of the industry is that there’s no rule book in how to crack into it or train up. This can seem like a total gamble compared to getting a degree for more traditional jobs or doing an apprenticeship. But there’s definitely now more avenues to crack into it since YouTube, Vimeo, social media, and countless other curation platforms have made it easier to share your craft, get noticed, actually build your own audience, and make a living.”

“To be honest, the cliché of ‘who you know’ is alive and well. But as Nick Robbo only half-jokingly said when I did work experience with him, ‘I’ve opened the door, now it’s up to you to walk through it.’”

“It’s not an easy industry, and you need resilience and a willingness to roll up your sleeves.”

“I would say for any career you want to pursue, having genuine passion or at least a sense of purpose is really important—vital, actually. Because life can feel more complicated as you get older, and when you consider how much time is spent on your career, it feels like a real shame to not at least generally feel happy most days about what you’re doing. And if you think it’s bettering the world or people in some way, awesome!”