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The Australian
22-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Telstra wins film prize but Aussie work lags globally
Telstra has been recognised among some of the world's best brands after its advertising campaigns scooped top awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Three recent campaigns from the telecommunications giant were recognised at the annual advertising awards festival, alongside global work for Apple, AXA, Budweiser, Dove and Vaseline. The telco's Better on a Better Network campaign, which consisted of 26 stop-motion films, each just 15 seconds long, dominated the Film awards category winning a Grand Prix for film craft in addition to two golds and one bronze Lion. Telstra's Christmas and business campaigns also picked up four more Lions, all in the film category. The plaudits extended to the creative companies behind the work, with Telstra's creative agency Bear Meets Eagle On Fire recognised as one of the top three independent agencies in the world, while production company Revolver won the Palme d'Or for film making, the first Australian production company to ever receive the award. Telstra was the most highly-awarded Australian brand at this year's awards, an accolade that left Telstra chief marketing officer Brent Smart 'speechless'. Mr Smart had previously told The Australian that the brand's recent advertising activity aimed to get audiences to rethink Telstra. 'We've been working hard to give the brand more personality, to make the brand more humble, more personable and more likeable,' he told The Australian last year. 'A lot of people judge Telstra based on the brand it used to be, not the brand it is today. I believe, if you want to change how people feel about the brand, you need to change how the brand feels,' he said. Telstra wasn't the only brand to win over the international judging panels, other local campaigns that picked up awards included Suncorp's Building a More Resilient Australia campaign by Leo Australia, Volkswagen RooBadge by DDB Australia, Coca-Cola's Meet me at the Coke Sign by Ogilvy Australia, Australian Lamb for Droga5 ANZ and the 36 Months campaign by independent agency SuperMassive, which lobbied the Australian Government to raise the minimum age for social media from 13 to 16. In addition to awarding the best work from the past 12 months, the annual festival also provides a glimpse into the themes and trends that will dominate the year ahead with some well-needed laughs likely to be hitting our screens through the next wave of advertising and marketing. 'Humour is back,' according to Suncorp EGM of Brand & Customer Experience Mim Haysom, who was a judge in the creative data award category. 'There were a large number of entries using humour this year, and using it effectively to cut through and create an emotional connection with audiences,' she said. 'Perhaps a counter play to the serious issues we are all feeling globally, the significant presence of humour, being used to tackle both business and social challenges was a delight to have in the mix.' Ms Haysom also said that while AI was a strong presence throughout the festival, featuring in 70 per cent of award case studies in the creative data category, its role and purpose was interrogated by the judges. 'We asked ourselves in the judging room, did AI serve as a genuine enabler for innovation and impact, or was it simply there for show? If you could remove the AI and the idea didn't stand on its own, it didn't make the cut,' she said. In response to the pervasiveness of AI and technology, there was a strong push for work that showcased the best, and worst, of humanity, according to Revolver executive producer and partner Pip Smart, a judge in the film craft category. 'The jury room for film craft instinctively steered away this year from anything that felt too slick, post produced or AI driven,' Ms Smart said. 'As a group we were drawn to work that showed humanity – anything hand crafted, and where emotional or humorous elements stood out. Originality was key.' She said work that was surprising, quirky and original caught the judges attention. However, there was also a big push to go beyond the creative aesthetics and reward the work that works, which impacted another significant theme to dominate the festival, as judges looked to award work that delivered results for businesses. Clerehan founder Esther Clerehan said for the Glass Lions category, which recognises work that creates change, the jury focus was firmly on the outcomes of the activity. 'The bottom line for the jury came down to impact. Brand alignment was also a recurring part of discussions but always the emphasis was on the impact of the work. Some work scored really well on creativity, but when the most weight is applied to the results, a clever idea can flounder if its case relies heavily on impressions and awareness,' said Ms Clerehan. Ms Haysom agreed. 'Impact was a non-negotiable for our jury, and most of the cases reviewed had incredible impact for business, customers, or in the case of those who were recognised with Lions, they had impact on both business and customers with strong outcomes against tangible metrics.' Impact was also a crucial theme for the creative strategy category jury, which included VML chief strategy officer Alison Tilling. She said the debut of the long-term brand platform award, while challenging to judge, provided a showcase of 'the greatest hits of advertising' with Dove's Real Beauty campaign scooping the Grand Prix. '(Dove) has written the playbook for consistently fresh work off a single platform over the past 20 years,' Ms Tilling said. 'What does it say when a 20-year-old strategy wins? I think it should scream loud and clear that when you have a strong positioning or theme you play to it clearly but with a strong sense of what's happening in culture at that moment.' Read related topics: Telstra
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cal: Helen Mirren Troubles film remastered 40 years after release
When Bernard MacLaverty's Cal was adapted for screen in 1984, it received widespread praise and even earned Helen Mirren her first major award, and briefly made Belfast's Queen's Film Theatre one of the highest grossing cinemas in the UK. However, over the ensuing 40 years, the film had become lost, the only remaining version a poor quality 35mm that left the author "ashamed". Now, the film has been remastered, and was shown again in Belfast on Friday. Cal, which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Bernard MacLaverty, depicts a young Catholic man, Cal, in 1970s Northern Ireland. Cal is a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and is involved in the killing of a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He later falls in love with the victim's widow, who is unaware of Cal's involvement in her late husband's death. Helen Mirren, who stars as the widow Marcella, won an award for Best Actress at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. She was the first British performer to win the award in 12 film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or, as well as two the time, the Financial Times' Nigel Andrews wrote that "Cal is the most moving and convincing portrait of life in Northern Ireland the cinema has yet given us". Cal will be screened at the Queen's Film Theatre at 6.30pm on the 6th of June. Bernard MacLaverty, who wrote the original novel, as well as the screenplay for Cal, said it has been years since he has seen the film."The last time I saw it was in Glasgow University and I was so disappointed in [the condition of] it and ashamed of it that I said I would never talk about it in public again."It was in a bad state."Mr MacLaverty said it is "exciting" that the film has now been remastered, and expects the story to retain its appeal with modern audiences. "I think the storyline is one that is universal."It's a love story. One would hope that love hasn't exited from our lives."But he feels there is some risk to the film becoming available again."Maybe it will be badly written. It may date, and I'll be the one to blame."When Cal was first screened in 1984 at the Belfast Festival, it was successful enough to warrant a further run 42 consecutive sell-out showings. Such success meant that, during the initial two weeks of screenings, the QFT became the second-highest grossing cinema in the UK outside of London. Hugh-Olding Smee, Manager of Film Hub NI, said the idea to remaster 'Cal' originated when Queen's Film Theatre (QFT) was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018. "Cal is a very important film to the QFT. It was really the first kind of Irish premiere that broke through, and it was very successful at the QFT when it came out."It's a very emotional film about a particular time in our history."Mr Smee said he believes the re-release of Cal is important for young filmmakers in Northern Ireland, and described the film as an "important cultural touchstone"."People have seen it the odd time down the years, but the lion's share of people haven't seen it since it came out", he said. However, Mr Smee had no doubt that the film will continue to appeal to today's audiences."MacLaverty has a gift for creating stories that are individual but universal at the same time. "It was an important story then, and it's an important story now."Mr Smee also noted the film's relevance in the context of various conflicts that continue to take place around the world, and said that art can be useful in helping people deal with traumatic situations. "Films are empathy machines. Empathy is how things get healed."
Free Malaysia Today
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Oldest Cannes Palme d'Or winner Hamina dies at 95
Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina's 1967 film 'The Winds of the Aures' won the Best First Work award. (Photo by AFP) ALGIERS : Mohammed Lakhdar Hamina, the first Arab and African director to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has died aged 95, his family said yesterday. The filmmaker was awarded the prize in 1975 for 'Chronicle of the Years of Fire', a historical drama about the Algerian war of independence. His children said he passed away at his home in Algiers. Hamina – who was the oldest living recipient of the Palme d'Or – competed four times in the festival on the French Riviera. His 1967 film 'The Winds of the Aures' won the Best First Work award. The struggle for Algeria's independence was at the heart of his most famous work, which in six chapters from 1939 to 1954 tells the story of a nation through its people, culminating in the uprising against French colonisation. Born on Feb 26, 1934 in M'sila in the mountainous Aures region of northeast Algeria, Hamina was the son of modest peasants from the high plains. He attended agricultural school, then studied in the southern French town of Antibes, just along the Mediterranean coast from Cannes, where he met his future wife. The couple had four sons together. During the Algerian war, his father was kidnapped, tortured and killed by the French army. He was called up in 1958 and joined the Algerian resistance in Tunis. He learned filmmaking on the job, through an internship with Tunisian newsreels before venturing into short films.
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cannes 25 : Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" – A Darkly Humorous Triumph of Resistance
In a year marked by cinematic brilliance, the 78th Cannes Film Festival crowned Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi with the prestigious Palme d'Or for his latest work, "It Was Just an Accident". This Iranian drama tackles the legacy of state-sponsored torture with emotional precision, weaving themes of trauma, memory, justice, and unexpected levity. A Haunting Tale The narrative follows a former political prisoner who, upon a chance encounter with a man, becomes convinced he's face-to-face with his past torturer. A seemingly ordinary moment—a simple incident—jolts his memory. He hears a voice and is suddenly transported back to the interrogation room. Could this man in front of him be the one who tortured him? He can't be certain—his eyes were always blindfolded during those harrowing sessions. Darkness with Humour From there, director Jafar Panahi leads us into a haunting yet deeply engaging detective story. The protagonist seeks out fellow survivors, hoping to piece together the truth. What follows is a journey of collective memory, trauma, and camaraderie, where each character contributes a piece of the puzzle—and reveals their own scars. Panahi's genius lies in his ability to infuse dark subject matter with moments of humour. In scenes that could easily become unbearably heavy, the filmmaker dares to insert levity—not for cheap relief, but as a testament to the survivors' resilience. The audience laughs not because the pain is lessened, but because it is deeply human to seek light in the darkest of places. The film's epic climax—a confrontation between the survivors and the suspected torturer—is masterfully executed. The tension is suffocating, the emotions raw. You feel everything: rage, confusion, fear, even a glimmer of compassion. It's a scene where emotions run high and the lines between victim and perpetrator blur. The audience, much like the characters, is left questioning the nature of justice and the reliability of memory. In a masterstroke, Panahi reveals how easily perceptions can be manipulated, leaving viewers both shocked and contemplative. Lens Through Memory Visually, "It Was Just an Accident" is a triumph. The director uses the camera like a memory—often uncertain, jittery, sometimes fading in and out of clarity. Tight close-ups force us into the characters' emotional spaces, while stark lighting and muted palettes reflect the trauma that never truly leaves them. The cinematography turns small moments—a flicker of recognition, a trembling hand—into profound beats of storytelling. "It Was Just an Accident" is more than just a film; it's a testament to the power of storytelling in challenging oppressive systems. Panahi's ability to weave a tale that's both harrowing and humorous showcases his mastery as a filmmaker.
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The six ways Cannes will shape the year in movies
CANNES, France — It was a Cannes Film Festival that began on May 13 with Robert De Niro calling Donald Trump 'America's philistine president' — electrifying the European press at the Opening Ceremonies as the actor criticized Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center and proposed tariff on foreign-made films. And it was one that ended Saturday with the Palme d'Or going to the Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi for his political thriller 'It Was Just an Accident.' Praising the pick, Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche said the film 'springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today.'
