BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION)
McDonald’s ‘Golden Arches’ (Director’s Cut)
Darling Films | Slim

I DID THAT CRAFT AWARDS
Judge’s Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Juliet Honey & Zee Ntuli

AWARDED
15 January 2025

JUDGES COMMENTS
“My Best In Craft for December goes to Slim from Darling Films for the enjoyable McDonald’s ‘Golden Arches’ spot. Light, floaty and beautifully cinematic with characters that I liked. It made me smile and feel like a burger.” – Juliet Honey, Creative Director at TBWA\ South Africa. 

“Best In Craft goes to ‘Golden Arches’ Director’s Cut for a few simple reasons. It’s a  beautifully simple idea, handled with real confidence and restraint. Slim makes something technically complex feel light. Easy. Almost casual to watch.
There’s a quiet magic running through it. That feeling of being pulled out of the everyday. Of being saved, just for a moment, from the dull rhythm of life. Slim taps into that without  pushing it or underlining it.

What really lands for me is how the whole thing comes together. This is where directing shows. The film becomes more than the sum of its parts. Cinematography, edit, wardrobe, performance. Nothing is shouting. Everything is in conversation.
It feels effortless, even though you know it isn’t. Rich, graphic images. A smooth, floating edit. Choices that stay out of the way of the feeling.  It’s just good! Clean. Thoughtful. Properly made.” – Zee Ntuli, Director at Darling Films

View I DID THAT Craft Awards December 2025 showcase

McDonald’s South Africa is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new brand film that reimagines the iconic Golden Arches as a warm, magical beam of happiness. Conceptualised by the creative team at TBWA Hunt Lascaris JHB and directed by Paolo Grippa (Slim) at Darling Films South Africa, the spot transports everyday South Africans from mundane or frustrating moments into uplifting scenes of joy, capturing the brand’s longstanding promise to “make happy happen.”

Client/Brand: McDonald’s
Group Marketing Director: Krean Maistry
Marketing Manager: Nkuli Dlomo
Brand Manager: Mpho Dibakwana

Agency: TBWA Hunt Lascaris
Agency Managing Director: Karabo Denalane
Chief Creative Officer: Carl Willoughby
Executive Creative Director: Shane Forbes
Creative Director: Greig Watt, Brendan Jack
Agency Art Director: Greig Watt
Copywriter/Scriptwriter: Brendan Jack
Agency Producer: Sandra Gomes
Business Director: Kaylynn Smith
Business Unit Director: Sheharazaad Allie
Strategist: Sheldon Zoghby, Kendal Zoghby
Media Agency: OMD

Film Production Company: Darling Films
Director: Slim
Executive Producer: Melina McDonald & Lorraine Smit
Producer: Anastasia Tsobanopulos
DOP: Jason Prins
PM: Robyn Palmer
Art Director: Wendy Fredrikkson
Wardrobe Stylist: Pierre Vienings
Grips: Nasmie Majiet
Rigging: All Rigging, Adam Liebenberg
Gaffer: Oliver Wilter
Hair & MU: Jess Le Clos
Unit Manager: Mike Begg

Post Production
Editing Company: Mushroom Media
Offline Editor: Warwick Allan

Post Production Facility (Online): (Not an IDIDTHAT member)
Colourist: Terry Simpson
Online/VFX Artist: Blake Prinsloo, Alain de Klerk

Audio
Music/Sound Composition: (Not an IDIDTHAT member)
Sound Designer/Engineer: Lorens Persson
Recording Studio: Sterling Sound

Talent: James Stoffberg, Aaliyah Savahl, Yonda Xhego, Luyanda T, Khanya Kerwath, Thendai Gava, Maggie Gericke, Eben King, Victor Wulana, Daniel Levi Thomas

*If your company collaborated on this project and you’re not featured, please contact studio@ididthat.co and we’ll help you become a member.