This spot offers assorted mundane slices of life–a man waking up in the morning, taking a shower, getting dressed, driving to work, stopping off for a quick cup of coffee, sitting in his office cubicle, wrestling with the lunch room vending machine, eating a sandwich, heading back home–except all the while he’s shackled at the ankle to a long chain, presumably with a large ball at the end which we don’t see.
Finally we see him taking out the garbage, his leg dragging along this chain. Out of nowhere a huge red ball plummets from the sky and breaks the chain.
A message appears on screen which reads simply, “Break free. Powerball,” followed by a Colorado Lottery end tag.
The spot, which has a fable-like vibe, was done by the directorial team Peter Martin of The Sweet Shop for Denver agency Cactus, with visual effects out of Ring of Fire.
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More