Closed circuit TV footage of shoplifters caught in the act at Harvey Nichols stores–with cartoon-villain heads supered over the perpetrators’ faces–won over Cannes Lions Film jurors, walking away with the Film Grand Prix honor during the 63rd Festival’s closing night ceremony (6/25). Conceived by adam&eve DDB London, the fashion retailer’s film–which ends with the tagline “Love Freebies? Get them legally”–was produced by Blink Productions, Cain & Abel and The Mill, London.
Film Lions jury president Joe Alexander, chief creative officer of The Martin Agency, said of the “Shoplifters” piece, “Low budget, rich in narrative and hugely entertaining, it challenged our perceptions.”
The Film Lions competition Film 2,801 entries and 70 Lions were awarded. Click here for a rundown of Film Lions winners.
Meanwhile taking the Film Craft Grand Prix was Under Armour’s “Rule Yourself: Michael Phelps” which showed the rigorous training of Olympian swimmer Phelps. Directed by Martin de Thurah of Epoch Films for Droga5 New York, “Michael Phelps” presented an experience which “completely immersed” jurors, according to Film Craft jury president Laura Gregory, founder and CEO of Great Guns.
The awards performance of “Michael Phelps” contributed to Droga5 earned the Independent Agency of the Year mantle at Cannes. The Phelps spot also won a pair of Golds and a Silver Lion in Film Craft along with another Gold in Film. Among other pieces of work scoring for Droga5 was the Under Armour spot featuring the Team USA women’s gymnastics team (a Gold and three Silvers), and Hennessy’s “The Piccards” (five Golds).
From 2,317 entries received in Film Craft, 71 Lions were presented. Click here for a rundown of Film Craft Lions winners.
Palme d’Or, Agency of the Year
Tool of North America (U.S.) won the Palme d’Or for production company supremacy in the Lions derby. Finishing second was Epoch Films (U.S.), with Stink (UK) taking third place, Vrse.works (U.S.) in fourth, and O Positive (U.S.) in fifth place.
Earning Agency of the Year distinction was AlmapBBDO Sao Paulo (Brazil). Grey New York came in second followed by INGO, Stockholm.
Titanium, Integrated, Good honors
In Titanium 254 entries resulted in five Lions with a Grand Prix to #OptOutside for REI by Venables Bell & Partners, which also claimed the Promo & Activation Grand Prix earlier in the week. The jury looked for winning work that marked a new direction, got people to reconsider the norm and connected with the cultural zeitgeist. “The work drew on what was happening in the outside world and attached the brand to the conversation,” said Titanium jury president Sir John Hegarty, founder of BBH.
Click here for a rundown of Titanium Lions winners.
Integrated received 278 entries and 13 Lions were awarded. The Grand Prix went to House of Cards FU 2016 for Netflix by BBH New York. While many entries succeeded in clever integration across a range of mediums, the winner took this further. “This brilliant work leveraged current culture in the U.S. to draw in its audience. Every element was brilliantly executed,” said Hegarty.
Click here for a rundown of Integrated Lions winners.
The Grand Prix for Good was won by Malak and the Boat for UNICEF by 180LA, Santa Monica.
Malak and the Boat shows the plight of Syrian refugees, transitioning to live action to show that the tale of a seven-year-old girl named Malak is rooted in real life. In the piece, we see an animated characterization of Malak’s harrowing journey across the Mediterranean. She is aboard a small boat to freedom, accompanied by her mother and several friends. She battles the cold and turbulent waves, which at one point take the shape of an octopus, throwing the boat violently to and fro. Once the sea calms, we see that Malak is the lone person left on the boat. A super reads, “There are some stories never meant for children.”
We then see the real-life Malak as one of the “lucky” survivors. Malak is but one of millions of kids adversely impacted by the Syrian conflict.
“Sometimes you have to support an idea whose moment is now,” Hegarty said of the UNICEF short, part of the “Unfairy Tales” campaign. “This campaign was incredibly emotional and as a jury we played a small part in helping it reaching more people.”
Lion of St. Mark, LionHeart, Creative Marketer of the Year
During the ceremony, Marcello Serpa was honored as this year’s Lion of St. Mark in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the industry. Blake Mycoskie founder and leader of shoe brand TOMS, received the LionHeart Award for his socially responsible business model.
And Samsung Electronics was named Creative Marketer of the Year for its commitment to customer-focused, creative communications work. Samsung EVP of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Business, Younghee Lee, accepted the Creative Marketer award.
Other top honors
The Network of the Year award was presented to Ogilvy & Mather. Second to BBDO and third to Y&R.
Also awarded with the Holding Company of the Year honor was WPP. Second went to Omnicom and third to Interpublic.
