Chanel No. 5’s “The Film,” via BBD-France, was named the Top National Cinema Advertising Spot in the 2005 Top Cinema Advertising Awards, presented for the second year by the Cinema Advertising Council (CAC). The spot, which features actress Nicole Kidman, was directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!)
The runner up was Hewlett Packard’s “Picture Book,” from the highly-honored campaign via San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. American Express’ “Laird Hamilton” via Endeavor placed third. In the category for top regional cinema advertising spot (ran in under 10 markets), Remax Blue Water’s “Remax Addiction” from Digital Talking Screen Media took top honors. Second place went to Old Navy’s “Desk Til Dawn” from Deutsch; Manhattan MiniStorage’s “Man and His Moose” from Mad Injection finished third.
Topping the new category for integrated cinema advertising campaign–coordinated on-screen and in-lobby advertising elements–was American Express’ “DeNiro,” featuring on screen creative by Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Runner up was Free Family Film Festival’s “Animal Planet” with on-screen creative by Discovery Creative Resources; and third was Circuit City’s “Dancing Santa,” with on-screen creative by Doner Detroit.
“The Top Cinema Advertising Awards recognize the cinema advertising spots and integrated campaigns of the greatest creative and entertainment value, and that therefore resonated best with moviegoers, a young, affluent and educated demographic that is highly valued by the advertising community,” said Robert Martin, chairman and president of CAC, a national trade association designed to promote the growing cinema advertising industry in the U.S. “As advertisers become more savvy about the in-theater marketing environment and new digital projection technologies are distributed, the quality of cinema advertising campaigns is achieving new heights. This is being seen on the national, regional and local levels, and so this year we have expanded our awards platform to fully represent the cinema advertising community in the U.S.”
Nominees were chosen by the CAC membership and placed online for viewing prior to voting. Members of the CAC voted, making their selections based on the following creative criteria: storyline, uniqueness, cinematic consistency, creative expression, and entertainment value. Only advertising that appeared in the theater environment between Sept. 1, ’04 and Aug. 31, ’05 was eligible.
Awards for national spots and regional spots are awarded to both the advertiser and the agency. The top integrated campaign award goes to the advertiser as well as the creative and media agencies.
Review: Director/Co-Writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ “My Dead Friend Zoe”
Even for a film titled "My Dead Friend Zoe," the opening scenes of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes' movie have a startling rhythm. First, two female American soldiers are riding in a Humvee in Afghanistan 2016 blasting Rihanna's "Umbrella." They are clearly friends, and more concerned with the music coming through loudly than enemy fire. Zoe (Natalie Morales) tells Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) tells that if they ever set foot in "some dopy group therapy," to please kill her. Cut to years later, they're sitting in a counseling meeting for veterans and Morales' character has a sour look at her face. She turns to her friend: "Did we survive the dumbest war of all time just to sit here all broken and kumbaya and ouchie-my-feelings?" But after this rush of cavalier soldiering and bitter sarcasm comes a sobering moment. Merit blinks her eyes and is instead staring at an empty chair. Zoe isn't there at all. "My Dead Friend Zoe," co-starring Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, confronts a dark reality of post-combat struggle with as much humor and playfulness as it does trauma and sorrow. It comes from a real place, and you can tell. Hausmann-Stoke is himself a veteran and "My Dead Friend Zoe" is dedicated to a pair of his platoon mates who killed themselves. The opening titles note the film was "inspired by a true story." Audience disinterest has characterized many, though not all, of the films about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the output has pretty much dried up over the years. "My Dead Friend Zoe" feels like it was made with an awareness of that trend and as a rebuke to it. This is an often breezy and funny movie for what, on paper, is a difficult and dark story. But the comic tone of "My Dead Friend Zoe" is, itself, a spirited rejection to not just the heaviness... Read More