Libresse’s #WombStories, Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us” and Lacoste’s “The Crocodile Inside” have each won Grand Prix in the Film category at Cannes Lions on the final day of the International Festival of Creativity.

Libresse's “Wombstories” proved to be the runaway success story of the Cannes Lions this year, with the campaign highlighting endometriosis and women's menstrual pain also winning a Titanium Grand Prix today. Its final Grand Prix came in Film, having already won the top prizes in Film Craft and Health. Libresse was also named the runner-up for the Cannes Lions Creative Brand award (behind Burger King). AMV BBDO, the agency which created it, won Cannes' Agency of the Year award, while Chelsea Pictures, the production company behind it with director Nisha Ganatra, won the Palme d’Or, presented to the best production company of the festival. 

The jury, chaired by Adam&Eve/DDB's chief creative officer Richard Brim, also honored Nike's rousing "You Can't Stop Sport" ad with a Grand Prix. Released in summer 2020 at the height of the pandemic, the film saw agency Wieden & Kennedy Portland and director Oscar Hudson of Pulse expertly splice together otherwise unrelated found scenes of different athletes to make it appear as if they were moving as one.

Brim said in a jury debrief session that forNike, “everybody remembered how they felt when they saw it. It’s an excellent piece of work by any year’s standard.” The film jury therefore felt it should be awarded a Grand Prix alongside Libresse, which “definitely needed to be represented.” Both were awarded a Grand Prix for 2021. 

The third Grand Prix, which was awarded for 2020, went to Lacoste’s “The Crocodile Inside,” which was released in May 2019 missing the deadline for the previous Cannes Lions. The dramatic brand film from the French fashion brand depicted an arguing couple who see the fabric of their apartment start to crumble around them and split apart. It was created by BETC Paris and directed by French directorial collective Megaforce. 

Brim praised the film's craft, casting, cinematography, art direction and music, and said the jury's decision was "unanimous." He added that it was an example of "the best work, that which leaves everyone quiet" and that jurors had a "guttural reaction" to the film. 

It was a good day for Megaforce, which also grabbed a Gold Lion in the Film category for Burberry’s “Festive” campaign, which was created in-house, and for Pulse's Oscar Hudson, who directed Apple AirPods film “Bounce,” the recipient of another Gold Lion.

Other Gold Lions were awarded to Beats by Dr. Dre’s “Do You Love Me?” by Translation, Diesel’s “Francesca,” by Publicis Italy, Burger King’s “Moldy Whopper” by INGO, David Miami and Publicis Romania, and Equal Pay Day’s “Eternal Pregnancy” by Brussels agency Mortierbrigade. The humorous film by Mortierbrigade, said Brim, did not originally feature on the shortlist but was brought back into the jury room and watched multiple times before being awarded a Gold. He added that the jurors would have liked to see more comedy and humor in the shortlist, although humor is "very subjective" and does not always translate well across borders.