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Silent Anthem moves the jury, but for a bronze; Airtel wins for Craft
Mudra's Silent National Anthem film for BIG Cinema and JWT's Endless Goodbye film for Bharti Airtel have won a bronze Film Lion each.
"In a room where we were listening to so much -- that really broke through." These were the words by the Jury president, Tony Granger (global chief creative officer, Y&R) when asked about the Silent National Anthem.
The film, created by Mudra Communications for BIG Cinemas, has bagged a bronze in the Film Lions category. Mudra Communications had created the film on the occasion of India's 61st Republic Day, which was a silent rendition of India's National Anthem, interpreted through sign language. The video was played in all BIG Cinema theatres, before a film commenced.
Another jury member for Argentina commented on the Silent National Anthem film regarding why it didn’t do better than a bronze. Mariano Serkin, executive creative director, Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, shares, "The Indian National Anthem film really touched my heart, but one of the reasons it got a bronze is because it was difficult for the jury to understand the context of the film. The jury member from India (Malvika Mehra) tried to explain the context."
When the entire jury finally understood the context, the film managed to win a bronze, which, according to Serkin is a big deal, given the tough competition in this category.
The 58th International Festival of Creativity ended on a good note for the two Indian agencies nominated in the Film Lions category. Both Mudra, as well as JWT, managed to convert their shortlists into bronze Lions.
This has been a great year for India at Cannes. The Indian agencies have received 72 nominations, of which 24 have been converted into Lions. Indian agencies have bagged four golds, 10 silvers and 10 bronzes.
Among the Indian agencies, BBDO India tops the list with one gold (creative effectiveness), two silvers (both in PR), and one bronze in Outdoor. The other gold winners are Ogilvy India, Lodestar UM and Out of the Box, in Film Craft, Media and Design, respectively. Mudra has won three silvers (two in Design and one in PR), and five bronzes (two in Promo & Activation, one each in Film, Press and Design). McCann has one silver in Press and one bronze in Radio, while Taproot has one silver in Outdoor. Ogilvy, Maxus and TBWA India, too, have one silver each in Press, Media and Design, respectively. Besides, JWT, Grey and Sorento Healthcare have won a bronze each in Film, Press and Outdoor, respectively.