The Five Best Things to See at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2014

Before Julian Assange took residence in London's Ecuadorian Embassy, he was spreading his ideas at the 2011 Festival of Dangerous Ideas alongside Germaine Greer, David Marr, Michael Kirby and a slew of other big names. Presented by the Sydney Opera House and St James Ethics Centre, FODI is now in its sixth year running, bringing the most interesting speakers and big thinkers to town.

We've sifted through the packed-out program, have narrowed it down to our top five picks and are ready to be reminded that FODI is more than just a festival with provocatively titled events.

Television Has Replaced the Novel – Salman Rushdie and Emily Nussbaum

When was the last time you read a novel? When was the last time you watched a TV series? If the difference between your answers would horrify your year eight English teacher, you're not alone. Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children novelist Salman Rushdie and Tthe New Yorker's TV critic Emily Nussbaum will nut out the two modes of storytelling and their place in the future with the help of chair Michael Williams (director of The Wheeler Centre).

Sunday, August 31, 11.30am-12.30pm, Concert Hall. Tickets from $45, available here.

Russia is a penal colony – Pussy Riot

After their numerous protests and guerrilla performances, the feminist punk rock art collective Pussy Riot instigated worldwide critique of Vladimir Putin's presidential reign (and spurred an HBO doco series or two). They were sent to a gulag, where they were subjected to harsh physical conditions, slave labour and physical violence but, thankfully, were released late last year. In conversation with former ABC Russian correspondent Monica Attard, Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina will talk about their subsequent work in prisoner advocacy and the establishment of Zona Prava, their NGO founded to defend the rights of the almost 1 million people imprisoned in Russia.

Saturday, August 30, 2.30-3.30pm, Drama Theatre. Tickets from $25, available here.

Place Hack Your City

Bradley Garrett was probably the type of kid who, itching to start the day and explore, couldn't sit still long enough to eat his cereal of a morning. If there was one FODI event that resonating with us at Concrete Playground, it would be this one. The American researcher/explorer/geographer will be talking about 'place-hacking', exploring your city from every angle and why erring on the side of danger rather than caution should be your new favourite pastime.

Saturday, August 30, 11am-noon, The Studio. Tickets from $25, available here.

Cat videos will save journalism

It's a 21st-century truth that regardless of your natural disposition towards cats (loving, hating, allergic), there is a cat video out in the big wild world of The Internet that will make you cackle till the cows come home. But are these omnipresent felines hindering 'serious journalism'? Or do they stand at the doorway to more hard-hitting and challenging content (at least on occasion)? A panel discussion will air the opinions of BuzzFeed's Australian editor Simon Crerar, Sound Alliance's content director Tim Duggan, deputy editor of The Australian Peter Fray and managing director of the ABC Mark Scott. This event is sold out, but you can find it in its natural habitat, the internet, when it live streams on the day.

Sunday, August 31, 10.30-11.30am, The Studio. Tickets from $25, available here.

Breaking Australia's Silence – John Pilger

In his groundbreaking documentary Utopia, Australian investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger exposed the ugly truths related to the abuses and atrocities committed in Aboriginal communities. In conversation with Liz Ann Macgregor, director of the MCA, Pilger widens his critique by examining other 'unofficial truths' impacting on class and power structures and limiting public debate in a nation that strives to maintain an image to the contrary.

Sunday, August 31, 3.30-4.30pm, Concert Hall. Tickets from $25, available here.

To plan your dangerous weekend, check out the FODI website.