Film Lions: Cannes 2022 Decoded

It's one of the most coveted categories at the Lions Festival and it's one of the few where the jury is able to award more than a single Grand Prix, so the Film category spread the love this year with two winners: Super.Human from Channel 4 and Escape From The Office, the latest film in Apple's Underdogs series.

It's interesting to note that both films are instalments in a series of themed commercials; Channel 4 has now produced three films to support its Paralympics coverage, while Underdogs also now has three films in its series.

The power of building on a successful formula and developing a familiar cast of characters or a potent style across a series of films is evident in these winning commercials. The previous two ads in Channel 4's Superhumans series also won Grand Prix at Cannes Lions.

Why the jury chose these films as winners

Jury Chairman David Lubars, the CCO of BBDO Worldwide, said that both winning films managed to do exactly what the ad industry is in the business of doing: selling in an engaging way. “This is really work that sells products," Lubars said, "and we are here to move clients’ business”. He added of Apple's Underdogs films: “If they turned it into a show, I’d tune in every week.”

Creative Salon caught up with fellow juror Alex Lopez - President & Global Creative Chairman at McCann - to hear how the jury arrived at their verdict.

What were the key trends/reflections in the Film Lions category?

The creativity this year seemed to push harder into purposeful work that helps drive commerce, rather than solely looking to speak to purpose and values. I think there is still more to come in this evolution, and I expect marketers will further look to drive work that “sells the sell”.

What advice would you give to marketers wanting to win a Film Lion next year?

Marketers should be clear about who they are and why consumers should care, and then should truly push the boundaries of how to bring that message to life. It takes a lot to get consumers to take time out of their day to spend time with your message, and pushing creativity always wins with consumers and jurors alike.

What was your favourite work in this category?

There was a great range of work this year and all was standout. Beyond the Grand Prix winners, the Convergence Station piece from Meow Wolf was one of the most entertaining pieces of content I’ve seen in some time and something I have watched over and over.

Why did the winner win?

Super Human won because it was a brilliantly composed piece of work. It was exciting, empowering, and enthralling, I have done more than my fair share of sports advertising over the years and this deserved its accolades. Escape From The Office did a masterful job of long form storytelling and was able to be entertaining while showing the utility of the universe of Apple products and services.