The Film Lions continue to be one of the most prestigious categories at Cannes, and this year’s shortlist gave a few campaigns their first chance at being recognized.
The 11 shortlist mentions in the category included a number of campaigns that previously popped up at this year’s festival, such as Bensimon Byrne’s “Boys Don’t Cry” for White Ribbon, Grey’s “First Shave” for Gillette, BBDO’s “We Rise” for Right to Play and Secret Location’s “The Great C.”
But three efforts also received their first nominations of this year’s Lions: Rethink’s “Lamp 2,” a sequel to a classic IKEA Canada spot, which was made to promote its sustainability initiatives; Ogilvy Canada’s “#TakeTheTime,” part of Dove Men+Care’s ongoing push to normalize paternity leave; and Felix and Paul’s “Space Exploration,” a series of VR experiences for NASA.
While Canada’s mentions in the remaining shortlists announced Wednesday were relatively thin compared to the rest of the week, it was an opportunity for some agencies to add to their finalist totals.
Jam3’s “Unlock the Drop: Complexcon” for Adidas Originals (which won Digital Craft Bronze on Tuesday), was the only Canadian work shortlisted in the young Creative E-Commerce Lions. The agency picked up an additional pair of shortlist spots in the Mobile Lions for its work with Adidas (this time for “Operation AirDrop at Coachella”), where FCB/Six also added another nomination for Black & Abroad’s “Go Back To Africa.”
In the Brand Experience & Activation Lions, Bensimon Byrne’s “The Healing House” for Casey House added another shortlist mention to its tally during this year’s festival. Though it was the only campaign credited to Canadian in the category, Casanova/McCann’s “Second Chances” for non-profit Donate Life California (for which McCann Canada was a partner agency) and Momentum’s “Just Do It HQ At The Church” (which won the Industry Craft Grand Prix on Tuesday) both received multiple shortlist mentions.
In Radio & Audio, Cossette’s “Air Time” (a fundraising effort that saw brands donate their radio time to SickKids) was Canada’s only shortlist mention in Radio. There were no Canadian campaigns among the 23 shortlisted in the highly competitive Creative Effectiveness Lions.
Film (11)
Rethink Toronto
IKEA, “Lamp 2”
Partners: Scouts Honour/Fort York VFX/Rooster Post Production/Vapor Music
Retail
BBDO Toronto
Right To Play, “We Rise”
Partners: Alter Ego/Moonlighting/Pirate Group/Skin & Bones/The Assembly
Not for profit / Charity / Government
Screens & Events
Bensimon Byrne
White Ribbon, “Boys Don’t Cry”
Partners: Alter Ego/Berkeley/Rooster Post Production/Untitled Films/Narrative/Jigsaw Casting
Not for profit / Charity / Government
Not for profit / Charity / Government
Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Grey Canada
Gillette (P&G), “First Shave”
Partners: Cylinder Sound & Film/Fort York VFX/Rooster Post Production/Skin & Bones/The Vanity
Other FMCG
Ogilvy Canada
Dove Men+Care (Unilever), “#TakeTheTime”
Partners: Outsider Editorial/Spy Films/Toast+Jam/Mindshare/Edelman
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image
Single-market campaign
Secret Location
Secret Location, “The Great C”
360/VR Film
Felix and Paul Studios
NASA, “Space Exploration”
360/VR Film
Mobile (3)
Jam3
Adidas Originals, “Operation AirDrop at Coachella”
Partners: Pixelpusher
Activation by Location
Innovative Use of Technology
FCB/Six
Black & Abroad, “Go Back To Africa”
Partners: Grayson Matthews/Rooster Post Production/Initiative/Glossy
Targeted Communication
Creative E-Commerce (2)
Jam3
Adidas Originals, “Complexcon”
Partners: ASA Digital/Kindly Beast/Pixelpusher/We Are Royale
Payment Solutions: Devices & Technology
Social Behaviour & Cultural Insight
Brand Experience & Activation (1)
Bensimon Byrne
Casey House, “The Healing House”
Partners: Narrative/Westside Studio
Local Brand
Radio & Audio (1)
Cossette
SickKids Foundation, “Air Time”
Partners: Pirate Group/Cossette Media/OMD Canada
Breakthrough on a Budget
