Hasta La Ideas

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase is something of an institution at the Cannes Lions festival, and this year it celebrates a big birthday – 25 years. In honour of reaching such a grand age, the agency invited 25 of its most famous alumni to create a special new film, which was shown for the first time at the festival this morning…

The role of film in advertising has been the source of much debate over the last two-and-a-half decades. Once viewed as essential for any big brand to make its mark, the TV ad lost some of its power with the rise of internet, and for a while it was predicted to disappear altogether. But as sites such as YouTube demonstrate, where TV ads are often among the most-watched films, the medium still has a vital role to play in helping brands communicate.

While the pundits debate the deeper significance of the TV spot, Saatchi & Saatchi has stuck to its task of offering up the best new directing stars year after year to the audience at Cannes Lions. And as the names involved in the 25-minute film which premiered today show – which range from Michel Gondry to Daniel Kleinman, Dawn Shadforth to Jonathan Glazer – the agency certainly knows how to pick the top talent.

For the event the 25 directors created an ‘exquisite corpse’ film where each created a minute-long work. They were given two rules: their short had to end with a prop from the original film they had featured in the showcase and it had to start with the preceding director’s prop. The resulting 25-minute long film was at times bizarre, at times brilliantly funny and often mused on the nature of being a director.

Sadly I can’t share it with you here as apparently today’s screening is the only time it will ever air. However, what I can show you is work from the latest crop of new directors. Here is the class of 2015:

Pup, Guilt Trip, by Chandler Levack & Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux

Hotel 22 by Elizabeth Lo

Tiga, Bugatti by Helmi; Production company: Division Paris

as-phyx-i-a by Maria Takeuchi & Frederico Phillips

Garage by Yvan Fabing; Production company: Matter Productions

Flying Lotus, Coronus, The Terminator by Young Replicant (Alex Takacs); Production company: Pulse Films

The Gunfighter by Eric Kissack; Production company: Helo

DyE, She’s Bad by Dent de Cuir; Production company: Excuse My French

Klangkarussell, Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain) by Charlie Robins; Production company: Forever Pictures

Siska, Unconditional Rebel by Guillaume Panariello; Production company: La Planète Rouge

The Bug, Function/Void by Factory Fifteen

JohnnyExpress by Kyungmin Woo; Production company: Alfred ImageWorks

A$AP Rocky, L$D by Dexter Navy; Production company: Partizan

Denali by Ben Knight; Production company: Felt Soul Media