Cinemark, the local representative for the Cannes Lions and its affiliates, is calling on all young creatives to register for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place from 21 to 27 June, to attend the Young Creative Academy. Not only will you learn some of the most celebrated knowledge in the industry but you will get a chance to rub shoulders with some of the creative greats and set your career in motion.

 

The Young Creative Academy is an intensive five-day programme of classroom sessions for the next generation of creative stars, including Q&As, workshops and master classes, combined with curated Festival seminars, guided exhibition tours and behind-the-scenes access to Jury rooms. With only 25 places available, this is a highly privileged and esteemed opportunity.

 

South African creative Tim Jones secured a place in the Academy through the Unilever Creative Academy Scholarship in 2014. He says, “It was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to see the best ideas in the world, all in one place. I met people from across the world, heard people talk about the future of creativity and learnt first-hand from the best creative minds in the world at the Young Lions Creative Academy. I can’t imagine anything better.”

 

Going forward, Jones says that being at Cannes in general has an interesting effect on a creative. “It breaks you down when you see so many amazing ideas and realise that you are not as good in comparison but then it lifts you right back up with an unexplainable inspiration.”

 

If you have an ambition to be a better creative, Jones says that there is no question but to attend the academy. Curated by the Cannes Lions team, the Young Creativity Academy gives delegates access to some of the most inspiration thinkers and shows them a behind-the-scenes look at how Cannes really unfolds including exclusive world class speakers, behind-the-scenes look at the judging process, guided tours of the work, the palace and the winner’s exhibition, creative exercises like free writing, media management training from a top journalist and improv sessions to loosen up and practice the newly acquired skills.

 

Participating on such a global platform allows South Africans to discover how they match up to the rest of the world. “Being in Cannes as part of Team SA was an amazing thing. It was a bit like being at the FIFA Soccer World Cup, except at this game we’re actually pretty good.”

 

Jones is hoping to see South Africa pick up a Cyber Lion this year, a possibility considering the high calibre of local talent coming out of the industry at the moment.

 

Creatives looking to change their lives need to register now for the Young Creative Academy as there are strictly 25 seats available.

 

As Jones says, “It pushes you to think of new ideas and better ways to solve problems. I’ve never been as inspired in my life. And it makes you want to create work that is good enough to feature at the next Festival. It’s changed my life.”