Top 20 Cannes Film Lions, 2009

The Film Lions at Cannes International Advertising Festival have been awarded. Of the 3453 entries in the Film category, the jury, chaired by David Lubars, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO North America, shortlisted 261 entries of which 16 were awarded Gold, 36 Silver and 35 Bronze Lions.

Film Grand Prix.

Philips: Carousel

A sign of the changing times: Tribal DDB persuaded Philips to launch an international movie theater-proportioned TV set brand with a digitally focused campaign that embodied the cinematic experience the Philips Cinema 21:9 is selling. The film jury agreed that's the way forward by awarding "Carousel" the Film Grand Prix, which has traditionally gone to the world's best commercial.

Carousel, the center piece of the Cinema project, clocks in at a (totally coincidental) two minutes and 19 seconds, but it works as an endless loop. Visitors to the microsite, www.cinema.philips.com, therefore have the option to ‘spin’ through the film’s single take shot repeatedly, to stop on a specific frame, or to watch it at the preordained speed. The film also contains embedded hotspots, which, when triggered, transport the viewer seamlessly from the heavily posted film to a behind-the-scenes version of the same shot. This constant moving between two layers of reality proved one of the project’s biggest and most ambitious production challenges. Viewers are able to choose between 21:9 and 16:9, turn Ambilight on and off, and “scrub” the film. The microsite’s loader doubles as a credit sequence. Rich media takeover banners drive traffic to the site by teasing viewers with an original Carousel trailer.

1. Boag’s Draught: Pure Waters of Tasmania

Boag’s Draught, a beer developed by Lion Nathan in Australia, is being associated with the pure waters of Tasmania. Three television commercials, 60, 30 and 15 seconds, introduce us to the transforming powers of the Tasmanian water. An old narrator, holding a ukulele, then guitar then balalaika, tells the imaginative story of how the pure waters of Tasmania are special, and have the power to make things better. The local community gathers to dunk a wide range of objects into the water and receive improved and somewhat surprising versions in return.

2. Sagami Condoms: Love Distance

Japanese condom manufacturer Sagami promoted their 0.02 mm thin products in an award-winning interactive campaign, Love Distance, run in the month leading up to December 24, 2008.

The unbranded Love Distance web site introduced the public to two lovers living in Fukuoka and Tokyo, separated by 1000 kilometers. Over a month they were shown closing the gap by running towards a central rendezvous point. Iori Abeno and Shohei Kawasaki aimed to meet on Christmas Eve. The counter on the site converts the 1000 kilometers into millimeters. Visitors to the site were required to choose one of the couple, meaning that they needed to find another computer to check on the other. The running commentary included SMS, blog entries, video chats, and running paths. And in the end, the whole documentary thing turned out to be an advertisement whose client was revealed on the night of the 24th of December, being this the final movie. Their ecstatic embrace resulted in emotional spikes between 0 mm and 316 mm.

3. Volkswagen: Dog Fish

Volkswagen do Brasil is promoting the SpaceFox, a mini MPV/station wagon with a 360 mm-extended tail (4165 mm vs. 3805 mm), a larger boot and more rear leg room than the hatchback Fox. The car, also known as the Suran, SportVan and Fox Plus, is being promoted in a commercial featuring a Dog Fish or a Fish Dog, tying in with the tag line, “Anything You Can Imagine”. To the sounds of the Ben E. King song, “Stand by Me”, a young man takes his dog/fish to the beach. The fish-tailed canine responds to his best friend’s whistle, goes surfing, plays ball, chases cats, shows affection, hangs out with the local fisherman, and jumps with ease into the back of the Volkswagen SpaceFox.

4. Times of India: A Day in the Life of Chennai.

Nakka Mukka mixes social life, politics and fabulous music in just one minute. This is India’s first Gold Film Cannes Lion.

5. MTV: Choose or Lose: Phone

Old people outvote young people 2-1.

5. T-Mobile: Dance.

Flash mobs spontaneously break out into a dance at Liverpool Station.

Silver Film Lions

6. Carlton: Woman Whisperer

Looking for a break from home duties to spend time with the boys? And you need your wife to understand that? You need someone who speaks Woman to tell her you need time out with some special friends to invigorate your soul. Take note - speaking Woman is as much about body language as about vocabulary.

7. Heineken: Walk-In Fridge.

A young woman shows three friends through her apartment, with the absolute thrill being the walk in wardrobe. Her friends’ cries of delight are soon drowned out however, by the guys discovering the walk-in fridge filled with bottles of Heineken.

Heineken: Walk In Fridge - Watch more funny videos here

8. Nike: Fate.

Nike’s commercial for the Nike Football range of clothing and footwear, challenges players to leave nothing to fate.

We’re taken through the lives of two NFL players, LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu, from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood. Throughout their lives these two young men learn to run and push everything out of their paths, until they meet each other.

9. Apple: Bean Counter

Apple’s “Get A Mac” television commercial, pokes fun at Microsoft’s high budget for advertising. It’s a poke at $300 million campaign featuring Bill Gates, Jerry Seinfeld and many “I’m a PC” partners.

PC opens his dialogue by allocating wads of US currency to advertising, advertising and advertising, with just a small amount given to fixing Vista. With all the frustrations Vista is causing Microsoft customers, PC has to take drastic action, by investing in advertising and more advertising.

10. eBay: Civil War.

You don't need an authentic British red coat from the Revolutionary War for your Civil War re-enactment, but you can get one anyway.

11. Pizza Pops: Karate Chop

Beware. Pizza Pops are loaded.

12. Washington Lottery: Bird

No matter what nature intended, every bird should get to fly.

13. Amnesty Interntional: You Are Powerful.

Amnesty International video, “You Are Powerful”, to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ 60th birthday. Michael Stipe sings the backing track, “Until the Day is Done”, from R.E.M.’s 2008 Accelerate album.

The video shows a range of people taking action to stop unjust treatment of prisoners, removing the noose, staying the charge of the riot police, taking off the blindfold, unlocking the door, intervening in a police brutality, standing in the line of a firing squad, disarming a child soldier. Viewers are urged to “Protect the Human” and sign up at protectthehuman.com

14. Nokia: Ping Pong.

Bruce Lee is resurrected for this viral video for the Nokia N96 model.

Bronze Film Lions.

15. Hovis Bread: Go On Lad.

The tv spot starts with a boy buying a loaf of bread from a late 19th century bakery. He takes this little brown loaf home to his mum in the modern day, and his journey takes him through defining moments in modern history – the suffragette movement, both World Wars, the coronation, the mini-skirted sixties, the 1966 World Cup, the miners’ strike and the millennium. The boy reaches home with a wry smile and a title fades up: ‘As good today as it’s always been.’

16. Esthe WAM Hair Removal Course: Beauty Bowling.

It’s the final frame in the Lady’s Ten-pin Bowling competition. Competing for the Beauty prize, our heroine glides down the lane with her bowling ball. All seems to be going fine until one skittle is left standing. The commentators are stunned. A close-up replay reveals the problem.

17. Levis: Secrets and Lies.

Secrets and Lies is one of four television commercials from the Levi Strauss 501 Unbuttoned campaign. The television conmmercial explores the sensuality of gradual self revelation symbolized by the use of buttons rather than zips.

18. Audi: Unboxed.

Audi’s quirky yet impressive television commercial for the new Audi Q5. Unbox the Box features an animated carton character building an Audi Q5 out of a cardboard box and features the famous American folk singer Woody Guthrie’s “Take Me Riding In The Car” song.

19. Dare Iced Coffee: The Boss.

Just what could the boss talk about over a coffee? Maybe he’s going to break the news about the end of his job, or even worse, declare his love, arrange a fake death or a transfer to North Korea.

20. Coca Cola: Encounter.

A 102-year-old man’s touching take on life.