This short titled Boys Don’t Cry has launched to coincide with Anti-Bullying Day in Canada. The public service piece is from Toronto-based Bensimon Byrne and its sister shop Narrative for White Ribbon, a movement of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls, promote gender equity, healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity.
The three-minute film was directed by Hubert Davis, whose documentary short Hardwood earned him Oscar and News & Documentary Emmy Award nominations. Produced by Toronto-based Untitled Films, Boys Don’t Cry ponders what boys are and are not allowed to feel. It follows the life of a boy from infancy to young adulthood, showing how various inputs throughout his life, including episodes of bullying, tragically lead him towards committing gender-based violence.
National research has found that one in five students is affected by bullying and half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. White Ribbon wants to spark a conversation about the importance of healthy self-esteem, compassion, and emotional intelligence in boys.
“As a society we still live with negative, outdated concepts of manhood, with very toxic results,” Davis said. “If we want to prevent gender-based violence, we need to address what’s at the roots of it.”
CreditsClient White Ribbon Agency Bensimon Byrne/Narrative, Toronto Joseph Bonnici, executive creative director; David Mueller, associate creative director/writer; Debbie Chan, associate creative director/art director; Brittany Dow, strategist; Michelle Pilling, producer. Production Untitled Films, Toronto Hubert Davis, director; Tom Evelyn, exec producer/producer. Editorial Rooster Post Production Michelle Czuker, editor; Mellissa Khan, exec producer. Postproduction Alter Ego Darren Achim, online editor; Hilda Pereira, producer; Clinton Homuth, colorist. Audio Berkeley Jared Kuemper, director/engineer; Tyna Maerzke, producer. Casting Jigsaw Casting Shasta Lutz
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More