Thanks to a new sponsor - the German post production company ACHT Frankfurt - winners can not only expect the honours of a prominent jury, but also valuable prices, worth around €14 000*.
Even before their final vote, the feedback of the jury regarding the quality of the films was enthusiastic. "Judging will not be easy, and it humbles me to view the work of talented people from around the world applying their energy to such a relevant theme. Respect", Steffen Gentis, head of TV at BBDO Proximity, was impressed.
And Mike Clear from Mother London added: "I was overwhelmed by the quality of this year's entries. The top ten will make for an excellent cinema screening. The films span many different techniques and many different interpretations of the word compassion. They're all of such a high standard it'll be interesting to see who eventually wins."
The jury was represented by some true superstars of the advertising and film industry, including Mark Tutsell (Leo Burnett), Jake Scott (RSA), Olivier Altman (Publicis), Steffen Gentis (BBDO Proximity), Ringan Ledwidge (Rattling Stick), Mike Clear (Mother London), Wolf Jaiser, Ralf Drechsler (ACHT Frankfurt), Sandy Watson Scott (The FireFlies), Al Moseley (180 Amsterdam), Barnsley (The Mill) and Tiger Savage (Tiger's Eye).
The shortlist including the ten best films will be announced on 16 June.
The venue for the award show is now confirmed: The announcement of the winners will take place during the screening of the ten shortlisted films at Cinéma Star in Cannes (98 Rue d'Antibes) on 23 June, from 5-8 pm.
Thanks to this year's sponsors, the winners can expect not only a lot of awareness but also prizes worth around €14 000: The postproduction company ACHT Frankfurt and their sister company UNCLE Berlin are sponsoring one postproduction package for the Firefly Gold worth €10 000 and another postproduction package worth €4000 for the Firefly in Silver.
Framepool, the footage collection run by filmmakers, and LBBOnline, the advertising community website, created this award dedicated to the Fireflies organisation. The Fireflies are committed to raising awareness and money for the fight against Leukaemia. Each year amateur cyclists from the ranks of the advertising and film world participate in the "Fireflies Tour" and cycle across the Alps from Geneva to Cannes. They were inspired by the courage it takes to fight Cancer. In allusion to this background, contestants of this year's challenge were asked to craft a beautiful piece of work showing their take on the meaning of the word 'compassion'. The jury of the challenge is global, highly prominent and represents many different advertising sectors: Mark Tutsell (Leo Burnett), Jake Scott (RSA), Olivier Altman (Publicis), Steffen Gentis (BBDO Proximity), Ringan Ledwidge (Rattling Stick), Mike Clear (Mother London), Wolf Jaiser, Sandy Watson Scott (The FireFlies), Al Moseley (180 Amsterdam), Barnsley (The Mill), Ralf Drechsler (ACHT Frankfurt) and Tiger Savage (Tiger's Eye).
For more information go to www.framepool.com.
*Exchange rate at time of posting: €1=R9.81
