Caribbean in Cannes: Caribbean Creatives Connect at the World’s Premier Festival of Creativity
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, founded in 1954, has long stood as the apex of creative industry recognition. It is a week where the most compelling campaigns, sharpest storytelling, and boldest ideas from around the world converge in the South of France. Yet, for much of its history, Cannes was also a mirror of the industry’s inequities. For decades, the festival reflected the homogeneous makeup of the agencies and holding companies that dominated the field. Representation was sparse, and the stories from the margins were too often excluded from the main stage.
A Month of Celebration, A Moment of Change
June is not just any month. It is a time of global acknowledgment and cultural pride - from Caribbean Heritage Month to Juneteenth to PRIDE. It is a month that reminds the world that visibility, justice, and celebration must go hand in hand. To have the Cannes Lions Festival take place in June adds another layer of urgency and meaning. This is not just a creative gathering. It is a global platform, and how it chooses to represent creativity has ripple effects across industries and continents.
This year, Caribbean creatives didn’t just attend Cannes. They arrived with purpose and pride. In a historic first, they came together as a collective to celebrate Caribbean culture during an afternoon gathering at Inkwell Beach, the hub for diversity and inclusion, hosted by the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC). What emerged wasn’t just a group photo. It was a powerful statement. A message to the industry: The Caribbean, despite its size, is not merely a cultural muse. It is a strategic creative engine that consistently produces high-performing, determined talent.
The Power of Inkwell Beach
Inkwell Beach, the CC:DC activation space at Cannes, is named after the historic African American beach in Martha’s Vineyard - once one of the few beaches where Black families were allowed to gather during segregation. The name is intentional. It symbolizes joy, refuge, resistance, and celebration. It is a reminder that creative brilliance is often born from communities that have had to fight to be seen.
Founded by Adrianne C. Smith in 2018, the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective has worked tirelessly to open the gates of Cannes to underrepresented creatives, executives, students, and storytellers. What began as an idea to increase Black and brown participation at the festival has evolved into a thriving ecosystem - one that now includes scholarship programs and activations at some of the world's most important gatherings, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, alongside the vibrant Inkwell Beach activation at Cannes.
What makes the CC:DC so impactful is not only its focus on representation, but its commitment to culture. This is not just about checking boxes. It is about creating spaces where people from underrepresented regions can be fully seen, heard, and nourished - literally.
A Festival of Flavor and Fellowship
Over the course of the week, Inkwell Beach featured a restaurant that served daily lunches and operated not only as a space for panel discussions and networking, but also as a celebration of global culture through food. On the first day of the festival, the menu offered a culinary experience rooted in African cuisine, featuring dishes such as jollof rice. It then transitioned into southern soul food traditions, culminating on the final day with a beautifully curated Caribbean lunch that brought Caribbean culture to Cannes.
That final dinner was a collaboration with the Barbados Tourism Board and featured a four-course menu designed by Barbadian chef Trevon Stoute. For many who had traveled across the ocean to attend the festival, the meal offered a grounding sense of home - a sensory reminder of the warmth of representation done right and a source of energy to continue showing up authentically in the creative space. The afternoon concluded with a group photo of Caribbean creatives as a collective on the Inkwell Beach stage- a historic moment facilitated through partnership and collaboration with the CC:DC, the Barbados Tourism Board and Caribbean Social Studies.
The Photo That Said It All
It was more than a photo. It was proof that we are here, together, and making our presence felt on the global stage.
This moment, and so many others throughout the week, exemplify the work that Caribbean Social Studies is committed to: bringing the creative community together as a collective to advocate for Caribbean creativity, visibility, and leadership. It is also a shining example of the power of the CC:DC’s work - creating the infrastructure, the space, and the emotional safety for creatives from all over the world to feel represented, respected, and at home.
A Big Thank You
None of this would be possible without the tireless efforts of the CC:DC's founders, team members, and volunteers. The grace, attention to detail, and care with which they intentionally curate the Inkwell Beach experience makes the festival feel more inclusive and more human. The impact of their work is a ripple effect that is opening global economic opportunity for overlooked regions.
A Future in Focus
The Caribbean’s growing presence at Cannes is more than symbolic. It is strategic. It challenges the industry to invest in regions that have long offered culture without compensation, creativity without infrastructure, and brilliance without credit.
The Caribbean is now more intentionally stepping forward with a clear vision, a strong voice, and a global community at our side.
The partnership between Caribbean Social Studies and the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective is opening a platform for Caribbean creativity to enter the conversation and actively help shape the future of creativity.
