The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has held the first of four awards ceremonies to honor the winners of the Promo & Activation, PR and Direct Lions categories.
The Promo & Activation Grand Prix and the Direct Grand Prix were awarded to Crispin Porter + Bogusky‘s “Small Business Gets an Official Day” for American Express. In the PR category JWT San Juan took home Puerto Rico’s first ever Grand Prix for “The Most Popular Song” for Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.
Of the 2,667 entries submitted in the Promo & Activation category, a 26% increase versus last year, 251 were shortlisted from which 86 were selected as winners by the international jury led by Nick Worthington, creative chairman, Colenso BBDO New Zealand. Along with the Grand Prix a further 17 Gold, 26 Silver and 42 Bronze Lions were also awarded.
Meanwhile, 2,357 entries were submitted into the Direct Lions category, an increase of 27% compared to 2011. 227 went on to make the shortlist of which 15 Gold, 25 Silver and 44 Bronze Lions were awarded. Gideon Amichay, former chief creative officer, joint managing partner of Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, presided over the Direct Lions jury.
The PR category received 1,130 entries, up 38% from last year. The jury, chaired by Gail Heimann, vice chair of Weber Shandwick, shortlisted 134 and went on to award 20 Gold, 22 Silver and 26 Bronze Lions bringing the total number of winners in the category to 69.
The prestigious Direct Agency of the Year award was won by Serviceplan Munich with Wieden+Kennedy Portland coming in second and DDB Brasil São Paulo taking third.
All of the Promo & Activation, PR and Direct Lions winners along with their credits can be viewed online at www.canneslions.com/work.
Delegates attending the Festival have already experienced an exceptional content program with seminars coming from, amongst others, GroupM & Renren, The Globe and Mail, PARTY, Visa & TBWA and Cheil Worldwide. This year has also seen the introduction of The Forum, a new stream of content offering in-depth insight into the key industry issues, which saw six sessions taking place today including PMK*BNC and Kraft Foods.
The three Academies have also kicked off. The Roger Hatchuel Academy allows students a week of unrivalled learning and experiences, while the Creative Academy for Young Marketers provides intensive insight and training for young professionals working for client marketers, and the newly launched Creative Academy with Bob Isherwood gives Young Creatives already working in the industry the space to develop their talent and expand their personal creativity.
Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?
Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.
"When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.
And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.
"Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.
No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."
At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.
After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More