IDIDTHAT JUDGE
GRANT DE SOUSA

Grant is an accomplished and highly acclaimed director and writer with a passion for storytelling and a deep passion for his craft and a commitment to excellence.

Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades and awards for his work in the advertising industry, including recognition at Cannes, Ciclope, Shots, New York Festivals, and The Loeries. In 2007, he was awarded the CFP-E Young Director Award, and in 2017, he won the Best International Director award at the annual Shark Awards in Kinsale. Most recently, he received the Best Director award over 90 seconds at the Ciclope Africa Awards in 2019, as well as multiple gold awards at the Loerie Awards for his Chicken Licken “Big John” TV commercial.

In addition to his success in advertising, Grant has also achieved critical acclaim for his short film “It’s Complicated,” which won Best Comedy at L.A. Shorts, 3 Kinsale Sharks, and the Audience Award at Shnit. He is represented by THEY, a dynamic production company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also represented by GREAT GUNS for international representation in the USA, UK, India, and the Middle East.

I DID THAT CRAFT AWARDS
Judge’s Pick – Grant de Sousa

JUDGES COMMENT ON (BEST IN CRAFT) ONLINE VFX CRAFT
“I was extremely impressed by the seamless blend of VFX into this story. But what pushed it over the edge for me was the innovative use of real world machinery learning and the use of Lidar. It was an inspired choice. A technology used predominantly in other fields such as – Autonomous vehicles, Archaeology etc and, I found it to be a very interesting and bold choice to use it as a creative tool. A big congrats to the team behind this as I think it enhanced the overall feeling of the A.I.’s character and truly brought it to life.”

JUDGES COMMENT ON (CRAFT MENTION) DIRECTION
“As a director consistency is always key and coming off the back of KFC ‘Cake’ to this – not much more needs to be said. It is a well executed and well thought out creation, the lead character and peripheral performances are all seamless. Furthermore, the world built around A.I was perfect and terrifying. Personally, I liked the dark touches and the overall tone. Credit is most certainly due.”

AWARDED
05 August 2025

I DID THAT CRAFT AWARDS
Judge’s Pick – Grant de Sousa

JUDGES COMMENT ON DIRECTION
“I saw this campaign the other day and it immediately caught my attention. This piece in incompatible hands could have resulted in something very different – but no. Lourens most certainly elevated it and I can feel his influence on the film. He has a very mature, nuanced interpretation and perspective which gave the idea life and integrity. I loved the setup vs the reward aspect of it for the viewer but what it also did, was land a very simple and clear product offering intertwined with a bit of heart.”

AWARDED
05 August 2025