Cannes do attitude to exploring creative side
A festival of creativity and ideas is about to burst on stage in Cairns, hosting everything from how investigative journalism brought down a murderer, to Stan Grant interviewing King Stingray, a rock band from north-eastern Arnhem Land.
Cannes in Cairns will take centrestage from May 29 to June 1, and is expected to attract up to 1500 people.
David Hovenden, of Misfits Media in Sydney, is one of the organisers and came up with the idea in about 2014.
“It’s a funny play on words; it was a stupid idea. And then Covid happened. So it was (a matter of) ‘if not now, when?’” he said.
“We took the idea to market and people piled on.
“It’s exactly like the Cannes festival of creativity. The Cannes Lions is the Oscars of advertising.”
The idea was put on ice during the pandemic, but every time it was delayed, Mr Hovenden says people became more enthusiastic for it to happen.
The event finally launched last year with 700 attending, and Mr Hovenden is expecting about 1500 this year.
“From my perspective, it’s about Australia putting itself forward in the world of creativity, rather than deferring to the Europeans or the Americans,” he said.
“It’s a regional event as in (an) Asia-Pacific event, but ultimately it’s a global event.”
The array of speakers is diverse, including award-winning journalists, international industry pioneers, authors, public figures, influencers, entrepreneurs and artists, who will all be rubbing shoulders over the next few days.
Attending the event will be Hedley Thomas, the journalist who dug down into the Lyn Dawson murder, sparking a new investigation and an ultimate conviction.
Mr Thomas will be talking about investigative journalism and its future in a discussion with News Corp executive chairman Michael Miller.
Wiradjuri man and one of Australia’s most decorated
journalists, and who recently stood down from the ABC amid allegations he was a target of racism, Stan Grant will speak about his take on journalism, Australia and being a First Nations man at a potential turning point in Australia’s history.
Mr Hovenden says Cannes in Cairns is a place where new ideas are born. “It’s about positioning Australia as a thought leader,” he said.