Chloé Zhao, who earlier this year won Best Picture and Director Oscars for Nomadland, directed this spot for Ford out of Wieden+Kennedy New York. Titled “Make It Revolutionary,” the commercial debuts during the opening ceremonies of the 2021 Olympic Games. For the film, Zhao brings the human side of the transition to electric vehicles to the fore, showing how this revolutionary technology can still feel incredibly familiar. Zhao’s human-centric approach to storytelling enabled her to draw out extraordinary performances from a cast of primarily non-actors.
Zhao–who directed the Ford project via production house Caviar–also has a personal connection with the Ford brand. She built a camper van out of a Ford Transit and often travels and works from it. The protagonists in her films are often seen driving a Ford vehicle.
“Make It Revolutionary” was a green production from end-to-end, indicative of the breadth of Ford’s larger sustainability goals as a company.
In 2021 alone, Ford has electrified three of its iconic nameplates, with the introduction of the F-150 Lightning, the Mustang Mach-E, and the E-Transit van, vehicles that are fun to drive and have unique performance and capabilities only possible because of electrification.