Oz doubles Film wins

21 Jun 2008

CANNES: Australia's doubled last year's haul of Film Lions, snaring four, including a prestigious Gold Lion. New Zealand won only one Lion, down from last year's four.

George Patterson Y&R Mebourne won Gold for the Schweppes "Burst" TVC, as predicted by many Aussies attending the festival, while JWT Sydney won Silver for Thrifty "Birthday Girl". One bronze each went to Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Foster's "Skytroop" and Colman Rasic Carrasco for MTV Asia Exit Foundation "Different Lives". DDB Auckland won New Zealand's only Film Lion, a Bronze, for Volkswagen "Finance".

The Film judges decided to award two Grands Prix, one for a broadcast TVC - Fallon London's "Gorilla" for Cadbury - and one for internet film, going to the Xbox 360 Halo 3 campaign by TAG SF / McCann Worldgroup San Franciso.

"We voted unianimoulsy to award two Grands Prix," said jury president Craig Davies, worldwide creative officer of JWT. "We discussed for hours how to reconcile the two [areas of] broadcast and non-broadcast.

"It was in the end impossible to reconcile and in the end maybe a little bit futile when you have fantastic work in two different areas.

"What we were confronted with was a situation where we were trying to force a decision at the expense of another great piece of work. This is a festival. It's meant to be festive - a celebration of extraordinary work . . . it seemed logical to celebrate both [pieces of work]."

Davies described "Gorilla" as a "courageous piece of work" that defied many of the conventions of confectionery advertising, such as showing chocolate being made, eaten, and using a voiceover. "'Gorilla' defies all those expectations," he said, "and says essentially that chocolate is about pleasure."

The Halo campaign, a series of films running for three-plus minutes each, was conceived for and ran entirely on the web.

Davies said film had overcome earlier suggestions it was a dying medium, being revived by new forms of distribution - online and mobile. "This year film was of a very high standard," he said.

"Film is back in a big way. There's an appetitie for fim and video content like there's never been before."

The judges certainly doled out more Gold Lions this year, handing out a total of 21. They also awarded 33 Silvers

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