Twelve South African women will get passes to this year’s Cannes Lions, the world’s largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry, thanks to the festival’s equity, representation and accessibility programme.
About the Cannes Lions Passes
The tickets, worth more than R700,000, were allocated to Open Chair, a non-profit that aims to nurture and inspire the next generation of women leaders in the industry.
Open Chair has opened applications for the passes, which will allow their holders to mingle with 15,000 delegates from 90 countries in the French Riviera city of Cannes from 16-20 June. The winners will have access to all the festival’s award shows, talks, networking spaces, daily happy hours and the closing party.
Open Chair founder Suhana Gordhan says it’s a historic moment for the South African creative industry, which struggles to retain women.
“One of the challenges we face is empty chairs. Far too few women occupy those chairs and far too many leave them. This community was formed to create access to industry leaders, and ultimately to learn from and support each other.”
“Being able to add 12 women to the Open Chair Cannes Lionesses Pride this year is a huge boost for us and ensures more women will be able to take up space where they belong. We’re so grateful that the festival decided to focus on the Global South in the allocation of this year’s passes, adds, ” adds Fran Luckin, Open Chair board member.
Application Process
The 12 Cannes Lions passes include five for “Young Lions”, who must be 30 and under, and three for full-time students of 23 and under. “Applicants have to submit a two-minute video outlining why they should be selected, and send a short written motivation from their chief creative officer, CEO or mentor,” says Open Chair board member Lorraine Smit. “We also need their name, role, organisation, date of birth and social handles.
“The aim of the Cannes equity, representation and accessibility programme is to foster a diverse and inclusive representation of talent at the festival, and we will be using this principle to select the final group of women and those who identify as women,” says Smit.
Applications must be emailed to thewomen@openchair.tv by 28 February 2025.
Support and Funding
Open Chair is seeking support from the creative industry to cover the cost of flights, accommodation and per diems for the successful applicants, and Luckin says it’s an opportunity to close the gender gap.
“It’s important to talk about gender equality, because we can never let the topic go quiet,” says Gordhan. “It’s crucial that we walk that long journey with bigger strides, because the walk is a little too long for the future we need now. And a single trip to Cannes can change a woman’s career.”
