On the morning of 21st June, legendary film and commercial director Ridley Scott presented the 28th New Directors’ Showcase to an audience of 2,300 Cannes delegates.
Taking place at the Palais des Festivals at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the 50 minute showcase presented the very best, groundbreaking directorial talent from around the globe. Continuing its partnership with Academy Award-winning creative studio MPC, who were integral to the reel curation, showcase production, overall design and judging - the NDS provides a platform for latest directing talent and celebrates their creativity, innovation, and craft.
Mark Benson, MPC CEO says “The New Directors’ Showcase is important to the industry as it helps surface undiscovered talent and sparks exciting conversations about creativity and what’s original. It brings the industry together with a unique forum where people with exceptional potential have the opportunity to demonstrate their vision and capabilities to a wider audience who may commission them professionally – now and in the future. Together we have an opportunity to create unique and memorable work when we combine a new way of looking at things, with industry experience”.
The showcase saw Ridley take to the stage in a Q&A with Kate Stanners the Saatchi & Saatchi Global Chairwomen and CCO. This year’s theme, ‘Regeneration:Year One’ emphasized Ridley’s forward facing views on new talent, the role of a director in today’s comms landscape, and importance of both the idea and execution.
The visual identity for the 2018 New Directors’ Showcase was created by Ridley’s grand-daughter Cuba Tornado Scott in creative collaboration with the design team at MPC. Cuba was commissioned to create an original static artwork inspired by the theme ‘Regeneration:Year One’. This inked butterfly was then used as the foundation for the design team at MPC, led by creative director Antar Walker, to develop into a full moving image showcase and promotional materials.
Ridley’s involvement in this year’s Showcase coincides with the 50th anniversary of his production company RSA Films, and the launch of the transmedia network, Ridley Scott Creative Group.
Of the final reel Ridley said; “The range of the work submitted this year has been remarkable. We’ve taken great care to ensure that the 2018 reel not only reflects great ideas but also considered craft and production. To be a truly great storyteller you have to be able to fully execute a brilliant idea. We hope you enjoy the 2018 Showcase, we feel that it’s an exciting selection of the most promising new talent breaking into the industry today.”
The judging process this year was completed in two phases. In the first instance, a global team at both MPC and Saatchi & Saatchi respectively, reviewed the initial round of submissions. The teams consisted of equal numbers of male and female judges, and feedback was called upon from people with varying degrees of experience within the businesses – thus giving up-and-coming talent the opportunity to feed into the process. Each company had their respective Chair; Global CEO Mark Benson was Chairman of the MPC judging panel, while Kate Stanners Global Chairwomen and CCO oversaw the Saatchi & Saatchi results. A longlist of submissions were then reviewed and curated by Ridley Scott and his team at The Ridley Scott Creative Group. The judging process was overseen by Andy Gulliman, who was also responsible for the entire NDS production.
The final list of twelve directors is shorter than in previous years and reflects Ridley’s expectations and his unwavering commitment to both storytelling and craft.
Explore the showcase films here
The twelve directors selected for the New Director’s Showcase reel 2018 are Georgia Hudson, Mike Skrgatic and James Allen, Win Bates, Jessy Moussallem, Erik Ferguson & Elliot Seller, Kristof Brandl, Megacomputeur, Jim Cummings, Jodeb, Schnabel & Schnabel, Ben Proulx & Joyner Lucas, Steve Cutts.
The final 2018 New Directors’ Showcase reel is as follows;
1. Tom Misch ‘Waterbaby’ – Georgia Hudson
2. Honda ‘Dream Makers’ – Mike Skrgatic and James Allen
3. PSA In Real Life – Win Bates #clickwithcompassion campaign
4. ‘Mashrou’ Leila ‘Roman’ – Jessy Moussallem
5. Zhu X Nero ‘Dreams’ – Erik Ferguson & Elliot Seller
6. The Kids – Kristof Brandl
7. Deupsi – Megacomputeur
8. Goats/ La Legende De La Chevre Qui Connaissait Le Vrai Sens De La Montagne – Megacomputeur
9. Thunder road – Jim Cummings
10. London Grammar ‘Non Believer’ Jodeb
11. Confidence Man ‘Boyfriend’ – Schnabel & Schnabel
12. Frozen – Ben Proulx & Joyner Lucas
13. Happiness – Steve Cutts
14. I’m not racist - Ben Proulx & Joyner Lucas
RSA Managing Director Kai Hsiung commented “When we were asked to oversee this year’s showcase we didn’t realise what an all-consuming task it would be. There were so many amazing ideas, and we were truly humbled by some of the outstanding work submitted. But in the end we had to take into consideration the craft. Our selection is based on what we deemed to be the greatest execution of the best ideas.”
When looking at the role and opportunities for directors today, Mark Benson said “There are arguably more opportunities today, but new directors face a range of challenges. It's harder because the market is broader, more competitive and there are more directors attempting similar work. At the same time the distribution platforms are evolving and multiplying - with the volume of content ever-growing, craft plays a fundamental role to enable brands and work to cut through the noise.”
NDS producer Andy Gulliman said that the “New Directors Showcase is more important this year than it ever has been.” He goes on to say that “In some parts of the industry there has been a growth of crowdsourcing for convenience and that isn’t compatible with nurturing new talent. The NDS is all about sharing exceptional talent so their work is at the fore front of people’s minds for those who have a script or opportunity sitting on their desk. Commission the right talent and you’ll maximise the end result.”
