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By Jonathan Russell and Jennifer Horn

For the second year running, the Cannes Lions festival is unveiling Silver and Bronze winners in the afternoon, saving the Gold and Grand Prix announcements for the evening spotlight. Canada made a strong showing in the Film Craft and Entertainment Lions announcements Tuesday – spanning categories from Music to Sport – collecting seven Silver and Bronze awards, all claimed by four agencies: Rethink, Gut, FCB and Klick Health. Although Canada’s total medal count (13 currently compared with 21 at this time last year) remains modest, this morning’s 31 shortlist nods suggest more Lions could still come roaring its way.

Correction: Rethink Toronto was previously omitted as a co-agency on the Molson Coors “Coors Light Coors Light” campaign in the official Cannes Lions shortlist and winner lists. All related articles and award tallies have now been updated to accurately reflect Rethink’s contribution and Canada’s total. This story has also been corrected to include the Film Craft Bronze Lions that were picked up by FCB and Klick Health.

Entertainment for Sport (1 Silver, 2 Bronze)

SILVER + BRONZE: “Paid Through Parents” by Rethink for Molson Coors

“Paid Through Parents” highlights the unsettling truth that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restricts paying athletes while spending exorbitant amounts of cash on its executives and the likes of Tom Cruise. As a sponsor of Team Canada, Molson Coors enlisted Rethink to find a work around. The answer? To pay the athletes through their parents by reimagining the traditional endorsement deal. It was a game-changing concept the Cannes jury thought was so simple it bordered on genius.

“(I liked) how they hacked the system. The athletes can’t get paid directly, right? And that was kind of stupid. It’s like college basketball or football in the U.S. It was stupid then and it’s stupid now. So the way (Rethink and Molson Coors) hacked the system and used the parents and went around the system was just genius. What most great campaigns do (is make you say), why didn’t I think of that? That was such a simple idea, such a simple solution to rally behind your athletes in a meaningful way. Campaigns that win traditionally, they do something so simple, but so genius. They did something that the IOC is going to have to change the rules, but I don’t know how. What can you do?” – Jimmy Smith, chairman, CEO and chief creative officer, Amusement Park Entertainment

1 BRONZE: “Coors Light Coors Light” by Rethink Toronto and Droga5 New York for Molson Coors

During a Steelers vs. Jets game, quarterback Russell Wilson shouted a surprising play call: “Coors Light! Coors Light!” It wasn’t a paid plug, but Coors Light tapped Rethink and Droga5 to turn the viral call into a marketing campaign. Within days, the teams launched a multi-pronged activation that included a limited-edition “Coors Light, Coors Light” commemorative can and a contest on social media. The brand also rolled out a surprise stadium signage takeover and a 15-second TV spot featuring the Coors Light train.

Entertainment (1 Silver)

SILVER: “Can’t Unsee It” by Rethink for Kraft Heinz

During the summer of ’24, Kraft Heinz piggybacked on the hype around Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Spotting a parallel between Deadpool’s red suit and Wolverine’s yellow one (and its own ketchup and mustard) the brand launched “Can’t Unsee It,” turning the superhero flick into a campaign for the condiments. It began with a spoof trailer on Marvel’s official YouTube channel, teasing flashes of Heinz bottles. From there, the brand showed up in pre-roll ads, theatre spots, Disney+ and Marvel promos, as well as OOH across Canadian and U.S. cities. Limited-edition bottles featuring the heroes and an Instacart tie-in extended the campaign’s reach.

What the judges had to say:

“I love that piece. It’s the perfect integration. They hijacked a piece of entertainment to sell a product. But that’s also the reason it didn’t go further than that to get a Gold – because it was using entertainment to sell a product, not being entertainment. So they have the trailer and they created a huge buzz. And now every time you see it, you remember it. But it didn’t create entertainment. I think it’ll do well in many other categories, it just needed to go a little bit deeper in this one.” – Lucas Heck, global creative lead at Meta

Entertainment for Music (1 Bronze)

BRONZE: “The Last Timbit” for Tim Hortons by Gut Toronto and The Last Timbit Musical Team

“The Last Timbit” (developed alongside the producer of Come From Away) turned a real-life snowstorm into a heartwarming stage production. It debuted in Toronto’s Elgin Theatre and drew from the experience of strangers who took shelter together in a Tim Hortons during a 2010 blizzard in Sarnia. Tim Hortons also ran a national contest inviting Canadians to share their stories and memories of Tims, and even teamed up with Roots to outfit the characters in an authentically Canadian wardrobe.

“‘The Last Timbit’ had many great values, from craft to music. We listened to the whole musical, even though it was something like an hour long. And what led us to make it a Bronze was because it had high impact. It had a lot of uniqueness, because we’ve never seen an idea based on a musical theatre. It’s pushing boundaries for the people of Canada, and it had a lot of cultural context and cultural impact in the country. Why didn’t the piece get a Silver? The reason is very simple. Because we have amazing pieces here. There’s all this greatness. So we have to evaluate the same things: who is more unique than who? Who pushes more boundaries? Music is supposed to, like every art, express something and push boundaries in people. But it is also very difficult to award Bronzes – we only had seven, out of like 400 entries.” – Claudia Incio, founder and music director, Agosto Music, Peru

Film Craft (2 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “The Count” by FCB for SickKids

“The Count” is a two-minute film created to mark SickKids Foundation’s 150th anniversary, and a new chapter in the long-running SickKids “VS” platform. Featuring real patients, the spot uses a simple but powerful device – a child’s voice counting each year of their life – to show the emotional and physical toll of the fight against childhood cancer. Set within the hospital, it highlights the resilience of patients and families while sharing the campaign’s core message: the fight for the chance to celebrate another year, another birthday.

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health for Second Nurture

“18 Months” is a stop-motion animated short by nonprofit Second Nurture and Klick. Premiering around Father’s Day, the film parallels a couple’s path to adoption with the arc of a pregnancy, from emotional beginnings to legal hurdles, as well as the challenges of the stigma that surrounds nontraditional families. The film ultimately demonstrates that love, not biology, is what makes a family.