A record number of creatives from the United Arab Emirates are to judge at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.
Five judges will participate in this year’s festival, three more than last year and a significant improvement on the single juror allocated to the UAE during previous years. It was originally thought that there would be four judges this year.
Fadi Yaish, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO, will judge on the print and publishing jury; Ash Chagla, executive creative director at Science & Sunshine, will be part of the film jury; Y&R Dubai’s executive creative director Kalpesh Patankar will judge radio; Paul Shearer, group chief creative officer at Memac Ogilvy MENA, will cast his critical eye over promo & activation; and Anahita Kheder, senior vice president for the Middle East, Africa and South East Europe at FremantleMedia, will participate in the entertainment jury.
The move marks a significant milestone in the development of the UAE’s creative advertising industry and follows recent successes at Cannes.
“From its inception until 2014 the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity had only had one juror from the region,” said Yaish. “Last year we had two, and this year we have five. It is something we have all earned together. We’ve showcased good work at Cannes and that has got us to where we are today. But it is not just about the number of trophies we won (because we’ve been winning a lot for a while now), it is the diversity of the ideas that we have demonstrated that spread across all categories.
“No one can get there alone. It is a result of all our efforts, together. Therefore I am thankful for all the agencies that have contributed to putting Dubai, and the region, in the spotlight, and even more so to all those who continue to try harder every day. Having said that, coming up with great ideas is one thing and bringing them to life is quite another. Which is why, I am also grateful to all clients who champion great ideas, and have the courage not to take shortcuts or the easy way out, because at the end of the day, we are only as good as they are.”
Discussing the pressure of being a judge, Shearer said: “Being asked to judge at Cannes Lions is a highlight of any creative’s career. But it also fills you with dread. This is a huge responsibility for me. Making sure the right work wins is something that must be taken very seriously. And I am very pleased that I have been asked to do just this.
“What I’ll be looking for at Cannes is incredible work for proper clients. Something that our region is now delivering. I think this is the reason why our region has been given five places this year. The best work at this year’s Dubai Lynx was for real brands with real business objectives achieved. I hope to see more of this in Cannes.”
Chagla added: “I’m thrilled to be representing the UAE and our new agency Science & Sunshine on the Cannes Lions 2016 film jury. Film is such an exciting category, and every year the work keeps getting better as the industry embraces new formats and techniques. So, I’m really looking forward to judging the best work in the world this year.”
The UAE’s jury members are nominated by Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan, representatives of Cannes Lions in the country. This year’s festival will take place from
