WOW! What an event! Aniboom had an amazing time participating in Saatchi & Saatchi’s New Directors Showcase in Cannes Advertizing Festival. This festival – the biggest and most important global event for the advertizing industry – included all the big advertising companies and their top executives.

Calling All Animators in Their 20′s!

Before the event, Aniboom and Saatchi & Saatchi offered the Nothing is Impossible Challenge to the Aniboom animator community. While there was some frustration from many seasoned animators at the age requirement (the animator had to be in their 20′s as this was the 20th anniversary of the New Directors Showcase – get it? 20/20!) those who qualified were extremely excited at the opportunity and many of the videos we received were truly incredible.

So good that Tom Eslinger,  Worlwide Digital Creative Director and Richard Myers, Creative Director Global Culture (now ex) from Saatchi & Saatchi decided to spend a weekend locked away viewing all of the videos submitted for the Challenge. Twenty (there it is again – now 20/20/20) videos were chosen along with the winner – who would be announced on stage at the event. Which brings us back to…

Cannes Advertising Festival – New Directors Showcase

Right after the Cannes Advertising Festival Awards Ceremony, Saatchi’s event is considered one of the top of the festival. Even though the event only started at noon, the lines of people were building up over an hour earlier in anticipation.

The New Directors Showcase was held in the Grand Auditorium. Keep in mind – the only other event in the Grand Auditorium is the official Awards Ceremony. Imagine yourself inside of the auditorium packed with 3000 people inside and hundreds more outside listening in to the announcement via speakers. I’m sure you can understand, the event was amazing. Saatchi started with a shocking hologram of Paul Arden and continued with an hour of 20 films by a select group of new directors.

Aniboom’s Nothing is Impossible Challenge part was the grand finale. Richard Meyers from Saatchi presented Aniboom and myself (Gal Oron) to a standing ovation of 3000 people (honestly – I all I did was a pirouette on stage, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I’m kidding, I stood there smiling, mildly embarrassed.) Right after the beautiful clip of All Submissions, the 20 finalists were presented.

And then – the winner – Yannick Puig. The winning animation looked amazing on the big screen and the crowed stood, quietly shocked. What a fantastic moment.