With the shackles of ‘but will it win at Cannes?’ removed, here are a few pieces of work that simply achieved the all-important act of remaining lodged in our brains. Let’s dive in.
Or in this instance, perhaps not. Because Channel 4s Fountain of Filth puts us off diving into anything, ever again. Visceral and hard hitting, it depicts swimmers young and old spewing filthy water while a fat cat water boss smiles with his briefcase full of filthy cash. A disgusting story told in one simple fountain. Hard to argue with, hard to ignore. This one might do well at Cannes. But refreshingly, that clearly wasn’t the main motivator behind this brilliant work.
We hope the Marty Supreme Zoom Call won’t win a Lion because, surely when you’re Oscar-nominated you don’t need such things? A24s decision to release a Zoom call about promoting the film was a huge shot in the arm of an already impressive promo campaign. It was entertaining and kept your attention. No easy feat when its running time is 18mins. A unique approach that was the talk of Hollywood and beyond.
Surely a campaign that hasn’t been produced yet, can’t win at Cannes? But Icelandair’s Really Bad Photographer Wanted is superb, even if we haven’t seen the final executions. The idea that even the worst photographer can’t take a bad picture of Iceland is such a confident thought.
And finally, a guaranteed non-winner. We’re certain Banksy doesn’t even know what a Cannes Lion is. But we’ve included Blinded by the Flag because the visually arresting piece absolutely captured the imagination and interest of the public and the press. And it’s a reminder of what us adfolk are competing with for attention.
Dan Seager and Steve Hall are ECDs at New Commercial Arts.
