Saatchi & Saatchi Teams Up With Channel 4 For New Talent

For the past 32 years, the Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators’ Showcase (formerly known as the New Directors’ Showcase) has provided a platform for up-and-coming creators at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, celebrating the very best in creativity, storytelling and visual innovation.

With the platform now in its fourth decade, Saatchi & Saatchi has announced it will use the New Creators’ Showcase to champion different creative hubs around the world, starting this year with the UK. The agency will collaborate with Channel 4 to put a special focus on British creators, directors, visual artists, game designers and more.

Saatchi & Saatchi has also partnered with Shiny, the not-for-profit organisation which supports new and underrepresented filmmakers worldwide, and enlisted renowned poet and director Caleb Femi as one of the showcase’s curators.

Chris Kay, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi UK said: “It’s fitting to start with our birthplace as the first creative hub celebrated. As the UK steps into a post-Brexit and post-pandemic world, we wanted to use this opportunity to celebrate the resurgence of creative diversity that Modern Britain is bringing to the global stage. To us, this is more timely than ever with the recent cutting of arts and creative funding for universities by the UK Government, and it’s important to use whatever influence we can to raise awareness of next generation creators. Channel 4 has been at the forefront of championing British Creativity for over 30 years. We couldn't be prouder to partner with them on something so important as next generation talent.”

Clare Peters, client strategy & comms partner, Channel 4 said: “We’re thrilled to be working with creative powerhouse, Saatchi & Saatchi to help find and celebrate the UK’s most exciting emerging talent. This partnership reinforces Channel 4’s commitment to attract young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the creative industries, building upon the work undertaken by our 4Skills team which is offering a range of bespoke training and development opportunities and work placements to young people throughout the UK.”

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators’ Showcase has grown to become one of the flagship events at the festival. The selection process will be curated by a new generation of established British creators including Caleb Femi, the poet and director featured in the Dazed 100 list of the next generation shaping youth culture.

Femi has written and directed short films commissioned by Channel 4 and the BBC, and his award-winning debut book POOR was published in 2020. Between 2016-2018 he was the Young People’s Laureate for London, working with young people on a city, national and global level. Caleb Femi will join Saatchi & Saatchi on stage in Cannes to talk about his own creative journey and the showcase.

The 2022 New Creators’ Showcase is open for entries from today, offering any visual creator in the UK who has yet to work in a commercial vein to submit their work. The creators who are selected will have their work shown during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

How To Enter

1. Eligibility:

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Creators’ Showcase is open to all forms of British motion creators, and we are open to all film formats, experiences and styles.

However, please note that candidates are not eligible for consideration if they directed any film, content, game etc. ‘specifically made for commercial purposes' before June 2020.

2. Selection Criteria:

Outstanding creative skill in any motion format.

Innovative style or technique or use of platform or channel

Exceptional craft in its content creation

3. Submissions and Deadline.

The New Creators’ Showcase is free to enter. Please send a link to your film with contact details to ncs@saatchi.co.uk by Friday 20th May to enter.