The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rolled out this two minute short film titled What Agnes Saw. The film is narrated by Danai Gurira (Black Panther) and will be played during the Tokyo opening ceremonies on 7/23 and is part of the IOC’s “Stronger Together” campaign. What Agnes Saw was co-directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, a duo that just won a Best Live Action Short Oscar for co-directing Two Distant Strangers. This is their first project since their big Oscar win, and Free’s first brand spot.
What Agnes Saw features 100-year-old Olympic legend Agnes Keleti and Olympic newcomer Sky Brown, connecting wisdom and experience with the future. The campaign celebrates the strength, resilience, and determination of athletes to bring hope, unity and inspiration to people around the world. Production company on the two-minute film was Dirty Robber.
Credits
Client International Olympic Committee Greg Groggel, executive producer, Olympic Originals; Mary Byrne, editor in chief, Olympic Channel; Christopher Carroll, director of marketing & digital engagement; Lars Silberbauer, global head of brand, marketing & digital; Matt McKie, head of global Olympics marketing; Catherine Green, sr. manager, Olympic marketing campaigns. Production Dirty Robber Martin Desmond Roe, Travon Free, creative directors/directors; Jasper Thomlinson, Chris Uettwiller, exec producers; Katie White, producer, L.A.; Anna Szijarto (Kinomoto), producer, Hungary; Chris Westerlund, DP (U.S.); Maytas Erdely, DP (Hungary). Postproduction Jamie Baker, Omri Kruvi, post producers. Music Score a Score Dan Rosen, composer.
Blinkink director Jack Brown created this stop motion film to tell a handmade story for Tekla’s holiday campaign.
Established in Copenhagen in 2017, Tekla was born from a desire to bring modernity and freedom of expression to the homeware category. As a brand, it rejects rapid trend cycles by designing for longevity, with an uncompromising focus on quality and responsible production. Brown’s use of stop-motion animation, using only Tekla fabrics, places both the brand’s story and its values front and center.
The film takes us on the journey of a teddy bear exploring the enchanted interiors of the Tekla Copenhagen store. The vibe feels dreamlike and the addition of stop motion adds a tenderness to the film. Inspired by the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, the campaign features iconic figures and nods to his fairytales; the towering mattresses of The Princess and the Pea, the magical umbrella of The Sandman, and the floating luggage of The Flying Trunk.
Brown said, “What an amazing little project this was, and for such a great brand. Tekla was such a cool client to work with. I suggested making the whole ad out of their fabrics and within 24 hours, there were boxes of beautiful fabrics being delivered for us to cut to pieces. Everything you see is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper and all hand cut, stitched and animated by a very small team of very talented people. Anita Bruvere was the lead builder and animator and did such an amazing job of turning all these tiny pieces of fabric into a magical world.”
