Cannes Lions 2023: Film, Titanium, Glass and SDG winners

Film Lions

Headed by Bruno Bertelli, Global CEO of Le Pub, Global Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Worldwide and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe Italy, the Film Lions saw two Grands Prix awarded. 

As Phil Thomas, Chairman of the Cannes Lions explained, since 2012 the festival has permitted two Grands Prix in Film to allow the jury to contemplate longer and shorter form work separately though, this year, both GP-winning campaigns were no longer than 90 seconds.

ITV and CALM's powerful film The Last Photo, picked up one of the two top prizes. Created by adam&eveDDB London and directed by Max Fisher through the agency's in-house production arm, Cain & Abel, Bertelli said that the spot, as well as being "a beautiful piece of film", was "about an insight".

The second Grand Prix was awarded to Apple's Relax, It's an iPhone; RIP Leon spot, which was created in-house at Apple and directed by Biscuit Filmworks' Andreas Nilsson. Bertelli commended all of Apple's work across the category [the brand picked up a further gold, silver and two bronzes] saying he was impressed by the level and consistency of its work.

Before announcing the winners he said that the jury had noticed a few trends in the work they judged including the "death of the big, manifesto film", instead noting that much of the entered work focussed on the product and on conversion. He also said that there had been a comeback of short form campaigns and, thankfully, humour.

There were six gold Lions handed out, 16 silvers and 25 bronzes, with work for Uber Eats, Bodyform/Libresse [#Periodsomnia], and Canal+ [Papa] among the gold winners. 

Click here to see all the Film winners

Titanium Lions 

The chairman of this year's Titanium Lion jury, now named the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions in memory and recognition of the architect of this category and who died last year, was CEO of Accenture Song, David Droga. He began by celebrating the addition of Dan Wieden's name to the category, saying that "he [Wieden] stood for what we're all aiming for". 

The Grand Prix was handed to Australian agency The Monkeys for their work for the government of Tuvalu, a campaign which focussed on the erosion of Tuvalu's land due to climate change and its move to a 'digital landmass' in the metaverse. "Titanium isn't just about the value of an idea," said Droga, "but about what our industry can be." Adding that the jury "looked at ideas that will have an impact long after the patina of these awards fade." He also stated this this winning idea "was not a tech idea, but a problem solving idea. Is it advertising? Is it marketing. No, it's just useful."

Three other Titanium Lions were awarded, to W+K New York for Budweiser Bring Home the Bud; McCann Warsaw for Mastercard Where to Settle; and DraftLine Shanghai, DAVID Bogota and DAVID New York for Corona's Corona Extra Lime.

Click here to see all the Titanium winners

Glass Lions

Tea Uglow, Founder of Dark Swan Institute, headed the jury for the Glass Lion category, a category that recognises work that implicitly or explicitly addresses issues of gender inequality or prejudice through the conscious representation of gender in advertising. 

Uglow opened her announcement of the winners saying that "it's a tragedy that this category seems to be expanding every year". She went on to say; "We're seeing structural change in these campaigns... laws are being proposed. [But] laws don't end when your campaign ends, and the winning campaigns reflect that. This category is about excellence, not bravery [and is] a list of seven incredible projects.

The Glass Lion Grand Prix was awarded to Cheil Worldwide Seoul for its work for the Korean National Police Agency called A Silent Emergency Call which enabled women suffering at the hands of domestic abuse to contact emergency services without needing to talk to anyone. 

Click here to see all the Glass winners

Sustainable Development Goals Lions

This year's Grand Prix in the SDG category was awarded to McCann Warsaw for its Where to Settle campaign for Mastercard. Presiding over this year's jury was Jean Lin, the Global Chief Culture Officer at Dentsu who said; ""We're not looking for more sad stories, but for real solutions that can bring systemic change. [It's about] solutions over stories, and solutions that are clearly linked to the brand's purpose."

The Grand Prix Winner in this category, which also picked up a Titanium Lion, was an initiative which helped refugees fleeing war torn Ukraine who had fled their country and moved across the border to Poland. It was, said Lin, "a simple and powerful idea than won our hearts and our heads [and] a campaign borne out of quick and strong action."

There were two other golds in this category, along with eight silvers and 10 bronze winners, the golds going to Publicis Conceil Paris for Solar Impulse's Prêt a Voter, and VMLY&R New York, Sao Paulo and Madrid for SFBO's Dogs Without Borders. 

Click here to see all the SDG winners

Grand Prix for Good

This year's Grand Prix for Good was awarded to Havas Paris for their campaign for the Fondation Anne de Gaulle which saw Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport rebranded for one week in recognition and celebration of Charles de Gaul's disabled daughter Anne.