IN CONVERSATION: Sunday May 10, 6.00pm. Join us for a screening of this comedy classic, followed by an expert panel discussion with political analyst Cory Alpert, producer/ journalist Tom Gannon (The Project) and Jaclyn Benstead (cofounder of HEX, a education startup).

Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, it would wag the dog.

Politics and marketing all leave us feeling like the tail, being wagged around left and right. Every moment comes with a new distraction being thrown our way so we don't pay too much attention to one scandal or another.

Barry Levinson's WAG THE DOG is the story of a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) and a political 'fixer' (Robert DeNiro) helping an American President escape a sex scandal by faking a war. History doesn't repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. If you're worried or curious or interested in what's happening around the world right now - and how distractions and stories play a role in all of it - join us for a rare screening of this comedy classic, followed by an expert panel discussion.

Cory Alpert is a democracy researcher at the University of Melbourne, a regular columnist at The Age, and a US political analyst with the ABC. He served on four Presidential campaigns and in the Biden-Harris White House.

Tom Gannon is a producer and journalist, former the producer of The Project.

Jaclyn Benstead is a cofounder of HEX, a global education startup based in Melbourne. She has experience working with governments around the world, and is a big fan of Wag the Dog.