With only 48 hours to conceptualise, film and edit a commercial, this year’s Cinemark Young Lions Competition tests the boundaries of creativity with a focus on speaking out loudly and acting against Xenophobia in South Africa.
Mirroring the Cannes Young Lions Film Competition, in terms of format, the South African leg of the competition requires competitors to produce a film advert of no more than 30 seconds. Winners will travel to Cannes to compete against the best and the brightest in the world. The local competition calls on the creative community to contribute to the xenophobia conversation and make a strong statement and call to action.
“The Cinemark Young Lions competition aims to appeal to South Africans at this time of social instability and violence towards non-South Africans. The cinema advert must be politically neutral. The objective of the advert is to follow the vision of Lead SA activist, Yusuf Abramjee. He says we need to encourage South Africans to renew the bonds of Africa Day and find a collective identity as a continent ripe with possibilities, committed to the spirit of Ubuntu,” said marketing manager for Cinemark, Yvonne Diogo.
Designed for creatives that are 28-years-old or younger, the Cinemark Young Lions Competition calls on an advert that will target males and females over the age of 13, across all ethnic groups, residing in urban and remote areas, who are social media savvy. The winning advert must best utlise cinema as the medium as the winning film advert will be screened at Ster-Kinekor. Sound needs to play a prominent role, allowing the viewer to truly engage.
The brief for the competition was published at 12h00 on 21 April, giving competitors until 12h00 on 23 April to submit their work. An esteemed panel of judges will then begin the judging, with the names of the winners due to be announced on 4 May.
For the latest updates on Cannes Lions local news and the Young Lions competition follow Cinemark on Twitter @Cinemarksk
