The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that brothers Piyush and Prasoon Pandey will be honoured with the Lion of St. Mark award at the 2018 Festival.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy South Asia, won his first Cannes Lions awards with two Gold Lions for his work on an anti-smoking campaign in 2002, marking the start of a period of global recognition for a man who was already a creative legend in his native India. Piyush’s work is considered instrumental in the popularity of advertising campaigns produced in Hindi during the 1980s and 90s, heralding a shift to more universally accessible creativity in India.
Prasoon Pandey, younger brother of Piyush, is a highly respected director whose name has repeatedly featured in global rankings of top film directors. Prasoon is credited for directing the first Indian campaign to win a Lion, for Ericsson’s “One Black Coffee” in 1996 and is one of the most awarded directors in India.
“The Lion of St. Mark recognizes those who have made a significant and outstanding contribution to creativity in our industry,” said Jose Papa, Cannes Lions’ managing director. “Piyush and Prasoon have undoubtedly made the world pay attention to creativity in India. While they are famous, and rightly so, in their homeland, I’m thrilled that we have this opportunity to celebrate their contributions to our industry on the Cannes Lions stage. The fact we get to honor the achievements of two brothers makes this year’s Lion of St. Mark award particularly special.”
Piyush Pandey paid tribute to India, his clients and colleagues, commenting, “This is a huge, huge honor. I am humbled and immensely grateful to the people of India. It is the richness and diversity of this nation that gave my brother and me the opportunity to learn and to create good work. I am also indebted to my clients, my colleagues and Ogilvy who gave me the support and the freedom to fly. Thank you Cannes Lions for giving every creative professional in my country a reason to believe that if Prasoon and Piyush can do it, so can they.”
Prasoon Pandey added, “The Lion of St Mark is an absolutely incredible and stunning honor for two 10-15 year-old kids from Jaipur who were just having a blast playing Emperors and Thugs, Dragons and Demons, dreaming stories and playing them out with some far more imaginative and talented friends. We were so engrossed in that play that we forgot that we were well into our 50s and 60s! This is such a huge and humbling honor for us; I just hope it doesn’t make the kids inside us conscious.”
Piyush Pandey joined Ogilvy & Mather in 1982, and made his name on work for Fevicol, Luna Moped, Cadbury and Asian Paints. In 1994 he was made national creative director for Ogilvy & Mather India. Piyush was the first Jury president from Asia at the 2004 Cannes Lions Festival. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the Padma Shri in 2016.
Prasoon Pandey started his career at Lintas Delhi, eventually becoming the creative director for Lowe India. He set up his own production company, Corcoise Films, in 2002.
Piyush and Prasoon will be presented with the Lion of St. Mark at the closing awards ceremony of the 2018 Festival. The brothers will also take part in an interview hosted by Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events in the Lumiere Theatre as part of the 2018 content program.
Cannes Lions is the annual meeting place for the global creative communications industry and takes place from 18-22 June 2017 in Cannes, France. Further information can be found at www.canneslions.com.
Previous Lion of St. Mark Winners:
2017: David Droga, founder and Creative Chairman, Droga5
2016: Marcello Serpa, former Partner, AlmapBBDO
2015: Bob Greenberg, Founder, Chairman and CEO, R/GA
2014: Joe Pytka, Director, PYTKA
2013: Lee Clow, Chairman, TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Director of Media Arts, TBWAWorldwide
2012: Dan Wieden, Co-Founder and Global Executive Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy
2011: Sir John Hegarty, Worldwide Creative Director, Founder, BBH
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More