BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION & EDITING CRAFT)
Bernini ‘Last Ones To Leave’ (Director’s Cut)
DIRECTOR: Darling Films | Alexa Wilson
EDITOR: Post Modern | William Kalmer

Awarded by Nwabisa Tolom

Judge’s comment on DIRECTION & EDITING CRAFT:

“Full disclosure, this came out of my agency, but it’s not my work, so pls don’t call nepotism It was just one of those pieces that immediately stood out to me.

There’s a lot packed into this film, but nothing feels rushed. Each interaction is allowed to breathe, and the chemistry between the actors makes it all feel considered yet completely organic. The fly-on-the-wall approach brings us into their world without intruding, with the camera keeping its distance and only coming closer for the subtle glances and pauses that give the piece so much texture.

I also love how it takes that uncomfortable moment we all recognise, when you realise you’ve overstayed your welcome at a restaurant, and instead of leaving us with the panic of it, we end on a high. What stays with you is everything that happened around the table before.

The direction and edit feel like an exercise in trust and restraint. Trusting the performances, the pauses and the smaller human moments to do the work. A lot is being said without much being said at all.”

– Nwabisa Tolom, Creative Director at TBWAHunt Lascaris

BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION)
Bernini ‘Last Ones To Leave’ (Director’s Cut)
Darling Films | Alexa Wilson

Awarded by Lebogang Rasethaba

Judge’s comment on DIRECTION:

“Judging is an important intervention in the process of creativity because it’s a message to the world that we need to make more adverts like this. And we need to make more adverts like Alexa Wilson’s Bernini. This advert is simply brilliant. I love the cadence of the advert, oscillating between immersive human moments and observational fragments of cinema. At moments, I feel like I am at the table, part of the conversation, connecting to the characters in a sincere and empathetic way, and the next, the film breathes in a measured mid shot, showing the self-awareness and restraint the storyteller has, allowing the visuals to be therapeutic. We are so starved of original thought; the internet has made culture homogeneous, so we crave originality, we crave human connection, and we look to filmmaking for that, and this piece gives us that.”

– Lebogang Rasethaba, Director at Egg Films

CRAFT MENTION (PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT)
Pick n Pay ‘Eat Like A Champion’
Bioscope Films | Daniel Kaplan, Lee-Anne Jacobz and Naledi Kgope

Awarded by Nwabisa Tolom

Judge’s comment on PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT:

“This piece is packed with energy, and with every scene that passed, I found myself thinking about what an absolute nightmare this must have been to pull together. Seven shoot days, four countries, hundreds of cast and crew, and a whole lot of Springboks with schedules that I can only imagine were not fun to make work. It’s a feat.

We spend a lot of time celebrating the craft we can see in the final product, but getting everyone and everything into the right place at the right time so that beautiful work can even happen is a craft in itself. The logistics, the patience, the problem-solving, the pulling of strings and the ability to keep that many moving parts moving in the same direction takes a very particular kind of talent. And somehow, altogether it just works. That, to me, is the mark of great production. Producers are so often the unsung heroes facilitating everyone else’s craft, and what they managed to pull off here is incredible. They deserve their moment in the sun.”

– Nwabisa Tolom, Creative Director at TBWAHunt Lascaris

CRAFT MENTION (PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT)
Pick n Pay ‘Eat Like A Champion’
Bioscope Films  |  Daniel Kaplan, Lee-Anne Jacobz and Naledi Kgope

Awarded by Lebogang Rasethaba

Judge’s comment on PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENT:

“The Springboks are the biggest commodity in the country, they are on everything from biscuits to socks. Even while judging this round, there were several adverts featuring the Springboks and the thing that makes this advert unique is how the Springboks feature. And everyone knows that production had limited time with the nation’s biggest treasure yet somehow through some production genius it doesn’t feel like that. I don’t know what tricks production pulled but you can see the pay off in how it’s an Springboks feature, NOT as one dimensional figurines, but complex characters who move the story forward and enhance the idea.”

– Lebogang Rasethaba, Director at Egg Films

CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
Supersportbet ‘Baggage Collection’
Your Girlfriend |  Morgan Dingle

Awarded by Lebogang Rasethaba

Judge’s comment on DIRECTION:

“Good adverts are a great human insight that sustains throughout the creative process, and isn’t lost when we come to the filmmaking part of the process. I love a good advert, and by good advert I mean, a piece of communication that delivers on its promise, solving a business problem with a creative solution. Waiting for luggage is a gamble and when you get it first, you feel like you have won. It’s a brilliant insight that is expertly executed. Again, every second of advertising we see on TV is a betting advert and we all have betting advert fatigue but this advert is a touch above the rest. I love the performances, they play in a world of hyperbole but the set up allows for it. I know I am being advertised to, but advertised to in a smart, engaging and memorable way.”

– Lebogang Rasethaba, Director at Egg Films