Feature, commercial and branded content director John Hillcoat (The Road, Proposition), who’s handled in the ad arena by Serial Pictures, has seen Corazón, his 48-minute film about organ donation for Montefiore hospital out of agency JohnXHannes, NY, win the Cannes Lions Health & Wellness Grand Prix.
JohnXHannes and Serial Pictures teamed to produce Corazón which depicts the real-life story of Elena Ramirez (portrayed de Ana de Armas whose credits include Blade Runner 2049 and Hands of Stone), a young Dominican woman living in Santo Domingo who is selling her body to provide for her family–only Ramirez’s body is failing her. She has a bad heart and has been given months to live unless she gets a new heart. After fainting, Elena meets a U.S.-based cardiologist, Dr. Mario Garcia (portrayed by Demian Bichir, an Oscar nominee for A Better Life), who is volunteering in his native hometown of Santo Domingo. Ramirez is past the point of help from conventional medicine, but Dr. Garcia gives her a fighting chance to live via a mechanical heart surgery that he and his colleagues can only perform at Montefiore in the Bronx. Ramirez sets out on a journey from Santo Domingo to New York City, facing challenges along the way, but always motivated by her conviction to live. This is a story of chance, hope, courage, friendship, love and generosity.
Lensed by Oscar-nominated (Arrival) cinematographer Bradford Young, ASC, and scored by Oscar-winning composer Atticus Ross (The Social Network), Corazón caries a tagline, “Give Your Heart,” which serves as a call to action designed to prompt people to register with Donate Life America, a short process which applicants can initiate by pressing their phones to their hearts. Corazón can be viewed in its entirety here.
"Blink to Speak"
Meanwhile the Cannes Pharma Lions went sans a Grand Prix honoree as no qualifying entry was seen as worthy of that distinction. Still a Gold Pharma Gold Lion winner, “Blink to Speak” from TBWAIndia, scored the Health Grand Prix for Good. Done on behalf of the NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute, the project introduces us to breakthrough eye sign language created for paralyzed patients who cannot speak.
Among the notable Health & Wellness Gold Lion winners was RPA, Santa Monica, Calif. for its series of shorts for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. For example Roof Studio turned out the animation short What is an MRI? as a means to educate pediatric cancer patients on an MRI procedure in an entertaining way. The short is part of a series that features a fictional group of characters coined the Imaginary Friend Society, created by RPA, that helps educate kids on cancer treatments in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand.
Roof Studio, led by director Guto Terni, designed a pair of original characters: Charlie, a brainy three-eared white rabbit with charming denim jeans and a bow tie, who acts as the instructor and guide for young viewers; and Roger, a green creature with furry tentacles who is ornamented with blooming flowers and a quaint blue top hat, who provides the comic relief throughout. Terni chose to depict Charlie as a bunny to add a sense of movement to the piece’s single setting, filling up the space and adding an interesting dynamic with his swift motions. Roger’s character design was a fusion of monster and nature, emphasizing a pure spirit that would be relatable to young audiences. The animation transforms the educational and somewhat heavy subject matter into a delightful, yet informative piece that artfully fuses the serious topic with a dose of levity. The short shows Charlie coaching Roger, the more silly and timorous of the duo, through intimidating scenarios including an MRI procedure, easing his nerves with a stuffed animal for support and expanding his imagination to envision the MRI machine as a space ship.
The Imaginary Friend Society campaign took two Gold Lions–one for Integrated Campaign, and the other in the Branded Content & Entertainment: Film, TV and Online Film Content category.
Other Health & Wellness Gold Lion winers included: Kleenex’s “Tiny Doll” from J. Walter Thompson Bangkok (Branded Content & Entertainment: Film, TV and Online Film Content); DOT Mini, The First Smart Media Device for the Visually Impaired from Serviceplan Germany (Product Innovation); and National Safety Council’s “Prescribed to Death” out of Energy BBDO Chicago (Creative Data Enhancement).
The latter including a remembrance of people who’ve died from opioid addiction. We see a face of a person who died from opioid use. That face is engraved onto a pill. This pill is placed with other “face pills” on a “Prescribed to Death” memorial paying tribute to the victims of the Opioid crisis. The wall consists of 22,000 such pills–the number of people who die in the U.S. each year due to a prescription opioid overdose.
On the Pharma Lions front, the Gold Lion winners in addition to “Blink to Speak” included: Cochlear’s “The Hearing Test in Disguise” from One Proximity Melbourne; and Grunenthal’s “Change Gout” from Grunenthal High Wycombe.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More