THE FIRST FESTIVAL OF CANNES INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING COMMERCIALS

Held annually one month after the Cannes Film Festival, the International Advertising Film Festival is sponsored by the Screen Advertising World Association. Entries from all over the world compete for the selection jury's Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Prix Awards. This 90 minute film is a compilation of the winner, from over 15 countries, shown in the order of winning categories, from the runners-up to the Grand Prix. Most of the segments run 10 to 60 seconds and are grouped according to their themes. The contrast between the foreign commercials and our own is a real eye-opener; theirs are less inhibited, to say the least, such as the Brazilian one showing hands stretching a white stocking over a female leg (with a voice-over crooning "I'm getting ready for you - won't you get ready for me?") promoting prophylactics. Some of the beautiful Spanish and Italian ads for everyday products look like clips from art films, like the one of a family picnic in golden country fields, resembling "The Night Of The Shooting Stars" more than an ad for olive oil. There are public service ads with messages that range from the powerful to the deeply moving. The majority of the ads are funny and often hilarious, particularly the British ones. The Grand Prix winner features a construction toy that changes shapes, through animation, from cats and dogs to dragons, submarines and ballistic missiles. All in all, the technical virtuosity, wit and imaginative artistry of the entries are so entertaining that you never want to escape to the kitchen or bathroom, as you might at home, watching the "average" commercials that interrupt your favorite TV shows.