Francine Li of Riot Games will serve as Jury President for the inaugural Entertainment Lions for Gaming.
Cannes Lions has announced the launch of the Entertainment Lions for Gaming. The new Lion will be judged and awarded for the first time in June 2023, with Francine Li, Global Head of Marketing, Riot Games, serving as the inaugural Jury President.
Speaking about the new Lion, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said, “We’ve seen the number of Lion winners that feature gaming rise by 74% in the last five years. Based on the velocity at which this space is evolving, and the increased relevance that Gaming now holds within the creative marketing community, this feels like a natural progression. We also can’t ignore that Gaming is bigger than Hollywood and the music industry combined. I’d like to thank all the many agencies, brands, gaming experts and passionate advocates from around the world who have helped shape this new Lion. Our belief is that this award will offer a new benchmark, and shine a spotlight on creative work that sits at the intersection of brands, creativity, gaming, customer experience and communities. I’d like to thank Francine for agreeing to lead the first Entertainment Lion for Gaming jury in 2023, we are grateful for her wealth of talent and expertise.”
The Entertainment Lions for Gaming will celebrate creative work that connects people to brands through gameplay. Submissions will need to demonstrate how brands successfully tapped into complex gaming communities and seamlessly added real value to the overall gaming experience while driving commercial success.
About her role, Jury President of the Entertainment Lions for Gaming, Francine Li, said, “I’m honoured and excited to serve as the inaugural Jury President of the Entertainment Lions for Gaming. This new Lion is being introduced at a time when the gaming industry is truly reaching new heights. I believe that gaming is the future of entertainment, bringing together passionate global communities in shared immersive and interactive experiences. The creative work in gaming is community driven, deeply rooted in insight and adds value to the player experience, a true definition of modern marketing. I look forward to celebrating groundbreaking work and awarding the first ever Entertainment Lions for Gaming with a jury of my esteemed peers.”
The Entertainment Lions for Gaming, originally a part of the Entertainment Lions, is being introduced as part of a long-term plan that started when Cannes Lions separated out the Entertainment Lions for Music in 2016 and then later the Entertainment Lions for Sport in 2019.
The jury, which will be announced early next year, will be multidisciplinary and comprise creatives, brands, gaming experts, publishers, platforms and producers.
Click here for more details on the Cannes Lions awards and the changes made to other Lions. Submissions into Cannes Lions 2023 will be accepted from 19 January 2023.
Source: LIONS press release
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Highlights from the 2022 UAE Cannes Lions Awards Ceremony
L’Oréal booked an integrated cinema campaign with Motivate Val Morgan – through, Universal Media to promote their extended brand offering – Armani Code by Giorgio Armani.
Actor Regé-Jean Page embodies the modern, forward-looking rendition of masculinity that sits at the heart of the Armani Code philosophy.
The 15 sec. on-screen commercial was booked as a sponsorship spot at VOX Cinemas – Kingdom Centre Riyadh – KSA for a period of 4 weeks starting 10th November, coinciding with the release of Marvel’s blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The off-screen component included a sampling activity prior to the screening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at VOX – Kingdom Centre Riyadh on the weekend of November 10th – 12th, 2022.
Perfume samples were placed on the seats, along with an Armani Code flyer, featuring Regé-Jean Page, and a QR Code for the audience to scan and order the perfume online.
Combining on-screen advertising with sampling at the cinema is an effective strategy when seeking to engage audiences with a new product.
Got a product launch ahead? Contact us to know more on how integrated campaigns can help move your brand closer to its target audience.
Motivate Val Morgan, in collaboration with VOX Cinemas, hosted a private screening of the Egyptian movie Tahit Tahdid Alsilah for our valued advertisers.
The screening took place on 3 November 2022 at 7:00 PM (local time) in the UAE – Mall of the Emirates, Oman – Muscat City Center, Bahrain – The Avenues, and Qatar – Doha Festival City.
With an attendance of over 220+ invitees across the four countries – a mix of agency and direct clients (and their friends/family members), the screening was a massive success!
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank VOX Cinemas for helping us organize and execute the four private screenings of Tahit Tahdid Alsilah, and to everyone who attended the event, thus contributing to its immense success.
VOX Cinemas will be the RSIFF’s exclusive cinema partner for the second consecutive year.
The Red Sea International Film Festival announces VOX Cinemas as the festival’s exclusive cinema partner for the second consecutive year. The strategic partnership underpins VOX Cinemas’ commitment to contribute to the prosperous future of the Kingdom and develop a sustainable film industry across the region.
VOX Cinemas will operate seven theaters at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah, which will screen a diverse slate of more than 120 films comprising international and local features during the ten-day festival. The state-of-the-art cinema boasts cutting-edge audio-visual technology, ensuring that festivalgoers will enjoy a truly immersive experience.
Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea International Film Festival added, “We are proud to partner with VOX Cinemas again this year in our efforts to bring the best the Saudi and Arab film industry has to offer to the big screen. The Red Sea International Film Festival provides an important platform for budding film creatives to showcase their potential and achievements in front of their peers, industry professionals, and the global audience. With VOX Cinemas as our Festival partner, we strive to inspire young Saudis and Arabs to pursue their passion in film to contribute to elevating the Kingdom’s cinematic offering to new heights, and we thank VOX Cinemas for furthering our vision through this collaboration”.
Commenting on the partnership, Ignace Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas said, “Storytelling is rooted in Arabic culture, and VOX Cinemas is dedicated to cultivating a new wave of talent and empowering them to use the language of film to tell their stories. As the region’s largest exhibitor, we have a great opportunity to leverage our scale and showcase the depth and breadth of local creativity on the big screen. We have been a proud Festival partner of the Red Sea International Film Festival since its inception, and we look forward to joining forces once again, given our shared commitment to expand the reach of Arabic culture and heritage to global audiences.”
The partnership between The Red Sea International Film Festival and VOX Cinemas, a pioneering cinema exhibitor in the MENA region, brings together two cinematic trailblazers to take festival attendees on a show-stopping journey. The film-going experience has become an established part of Saudi Arabia’s entertainment offerings, as a result of the rapid expansion of VOX Cinemas across the Kingdom in recent years.
The Red Sea IFF celebrates excellence in film, a sentiment shared by VOX Cinemas in their commitment to realize the objectives of Vision 2030 by making cinema easily accessible to communities of film enthusiasts across the Kingdom. During the ten-day Festival starting 1st December 2022, VOX Cinemas will be the exclusive cinema exhibitor for the screenings of the festival at Red Sea Mall, bringing the best in cinema to film lovers.
For more information click here
For festival passes click here
Source: Red Sea International Film Festival press release
The fifth edition of the hugely successful META Cinema Forum was held between 25-29th October 2022 at the Atlantis the Palm Island, with renewed optimism following the opening of several large-format cinema screens a few months after the industry began operating at full capacity.
As many as 56 exhibition stands displayed the latest products, services, technology from a select group of industry suppliers, technology providers and industry stakeholders at the convention.
Over 500 delegates, visitors, buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders attended the event, which also addressed the shortage of feature films, documentary films, and other film genres in the region.
More than 44 industry officials and experts shared their perspectives on the current market situation, challenges, and solutions through speeches, presentations, training, and workshops etc.
Industry leaders and officials who attended the META Cinema Forum included Toby Tennant, Senior Vice-President for EMEA Theatrical Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International; Tonis Kiis, Senior Vice President for International Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures; Paul Higginson, Executive Vice-President, EMEA of Universal Pictures International; Toni El Massih, Managing Director – Cinemas, VOX Cinemas; Andrew Such, CEO of AMC Cinemas; John Schreiner, Senior Vice President for Theatrical Development in EMEA, at IMAX Corporation and Zaur Darabadeh, Chairman of the Board of CinemaPlus, among other global leaders.
The forum witnessed powerful presentations from Saudi Arabia, Asia and Africa regions, the future of the large-format cinema halls as well as the prospects of the streaming services, technology disruptions and other subjects. Experts also addressed the demand-supply mismatch in film contents and theatre facilities across the Middle East and Africa.
Apart from the Middle East and African countries, cinema industry stakeholders from Turkey, Asia and CIS countries also joined the META Cinema Forum, making it a truly global cinema industry convention.
Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management –organizer of the META Cinema Forum, said: “META Cinema Forum has successfully repositioned the region’s cinema industry in the global map, so much so that large-scale investment has widened the theatre facilities across the region. The industry is currently gearing up to increase the supply of good quality contents and regional blockbusters that will pull more viewers to the cinema halls.”
“META Cinema Forum has now become a global industry convention for which international cinema industry suppliers, technology providers and other industry stakeholders prepare and launch their latest innovations. As a result, we can see a number of global cinema industry suppliers have lined up new products and services for the industry,” she added.
The two-day mega cinema industry conference was followed by a three-day META Film Fest, which kicked off with the screening of three short films from the UAE: Deadline, Children of All and IDI, and screened over 70 shortlisted full feature films, documentaries, and short films from Iran, Jordan, Sweden, Korea, Egypt. The main attraction of the festival was the gala premiere of Emily by director Frances O’Conner.
The film festival also attracted several international and regional celebrities including Cris Mejia, Nayla Al Khwaja, Emirati film director, Maria Bello, and Casey Shannon, Shalila Samavati, Pegah Ahangarani and Neslihan Yeldan among many others.
Motivate Val Morgan was one of the media partners for the META Cinema Forum and a supporting partner for Meta Film Fest 2022.
Source: META Cinema Forum Press Release
A specially curated menu by Saudi chef Mona Mosly was launched by VOX cinemas on Saudi National Day.
VOX Cinemas has announced a culinary collaboration with Chef Mona Mosly which will see the female Saudi Chef elevate the in-cinema dining experience with a specially curated menu.
Moviegoers in Saudi Arabia can now enjoy more than 20 signature dishes at GOLD, VOX Cinemas’ luxury cinema concept, and Candy Bar.
Chef Mona Mosly is one of the region’s most recognisable celebrity chefs due to her role as host and judge on five series of the TV phenomenon Top Chef Middle East. She has extensive experience in culinary art, having trained professionally in Switzerland before attending the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu in London and subsequently honing her craft at esteemed restaurants across the Middle East.
Known for her catchphrase, ‘From My Heart to Yours’, Chef Mona injects passion into every dish and her exclusive menu for VOX Cinemas aims to evoke memories through flavour while featuring her creative take on classic dishes. Highlights on the menu, which has been specially tailored for the cinematic experience, include Saudi Fish & Chips, Mona Shawarma, Khubz Mhalla and Rose Kakadeh.
Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head at Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment, Cinemas and Lifestyle in Saudi Arabia said: “The Saudi labour market has made unprecedented progress in recent years, with more Saudi women entering the workforce and establishing a strong footprint across various industries. In line with Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s National Transformation Programme, Majid Al Futtaim is committed to hiring inclusively to ensure exceptional employment opportunities.”
“Given her culinary prowess and unique talent, VOX Cinemas is excited to collaborate with Chef Mona Mosly and unveil her as the new face of our in-cinema dining experience. We believe that F&B is an integral part of going to the movies and this collaboration demonstrates our customer-centricity and dedication to providing an unrivalled cinematic experience. This is just the first step in what we believe will be a long and successful partnership and our ultimate goal is to expand this offering to our cinemas across the region” he added.
Chef Mona Mosly said, “VOX Cinemas has set the standard in cinema dining in the GCC and I’m extremely proud to partner with them given our shared dedication to innovation and excellence as well as the outreach to the Arab world that VOX has to offer. I am confident that this collaboration is a recipe for success and look forward to bringing dishes from my heart to yours at VOX Cinemas in Saudi.”
VOX Cinemas’ signature concept GOLD caters to movie lovers who want to indulge in gourmet food. Guests have the option of dining in an exclusive private lounge area or having their food delivered straight to their seats through the in-theatre waiter service. Redefining the luxury cinema experience, the GOLD auditorium features reclining leather seats, plush blankets, and pillows as well as cutting-edge audiovisual technology in a stylish and intimate setting.
Chef Mona is the latest high-profile chef to collaborate with VOX Cinemas. Most recently Michelin-starred chef Akira Back curated a menu for VOX Cinemas’ THEATRE across UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Chef Mona Mosly’s menu will be available exclusively at VOX Cinemas The Kingdom Centre, and The Esplanade in Riyadh before being rolled out to additional locations including Sahara Mall, Riyadh, and Red Sea Mall, Jeddah.
For more information visit VOX Cinemas
Source: VOX Cinemas (Press Release)
Saudi Arabia celebrated its 92nd National Day on 23rd September 2022, commemorating the birth of the modern Saudi nation.
This year’s theme and slogan was ‘This is our Home’- appreciating the cultural diversity of the country that makes everyone feel at home, whether they are Saudi nationals or expats.
Cinema was a popular medium for brands to convey their wishes to the nation this year. From French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products – Sephora, to Saudi based telecom provider – Salam, STC and more… here’s a look at ads that lit up the big screen to honour the Kingdom’s national day:
Sephora
The cinema ad by Sephora features Saudi expressionist artist Ghada Al Rabea – a strong Saudi woman, who holds her culture at high esteem, but never shies away from her passion for art.
Commercial Duration: 15 Sec
Locations: Multiple VOX locations
Monsha’at
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority – Monsha’at booked a national day cinema ad celebrating the nation’s identity, culture, leadership and growth over the years.
Commercial Duration: 127 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC and Muvi locations
Banque Saudi Fransi
The Saudi based banking group’s national day campaign celebrates the vision and achievement of Saudi Arabia as a nation in various sectors.
Commercial Duration: 30 Secs
Locations: Multiple AMC, Muvi and VOX locations
Salam Mobile
Saudi Arabia’s new mobile service Salam mobile in their National Day ad features a virtually performed ballad about the nation’s heroic history by well-known Saudi artists from across the nation.
Commercial Duration: 180 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Saudi Electricity Company
KSA’s energy provider Saudi Electricity Company in their National Day ad emphasized its commitment to illuminate the nation’s future – “she is home to us, and we are the light for.”
Commercial Duration: 86 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
STC
Saudi Telecom Company commemorates this year’s national day by highlighting the nation’s support and empowerment for the advancement of its people.
Commercial Duration: 60 Sec
Locations: Select AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile in a tactical campaign, promoted their ‘National Day Special Offer’ on the big screens of cinemas across the country.
Commercial Duration: 15 Sec
Locations: Select AMC, Muvi and VOX locations
With National Days of Oman (18th November), UAE (2nd December), Bahrain (16th December) and Qatar (18th December) around the corner, contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising to mark these special days!
‘Spooktober’ has finally arrived, and there’s no better way to celebrate Halloween than to watch a spine-tingling horror movie on the biggest screen of them all!.
With a number of new horror releases in cinema this Halloween – from Jordan Peele’s genre bending thriller, the final conclusion to the Halloween franchise, and a good old-fashioned exorcism, both audiences and advertisers are in for a treat.. no tricks!
Check out the movie line-up, and have yourself a bloodcurdling and wicked time at the cinema:
Orphan: First Kill
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland
Nope
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, Keke Palmer
The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
The Invitation
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Sean Pertwee
A young woman is courted and swept off her feet, only to realize a gothic conspiracy is afoot.
Jeepers Creepers: Reborn
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Sydney Craven, Imran Adams, Jarreau Benjamin
Forced to travel with her boyfriend, Laine begins to experience premonitions associated with the urban myth of The Creeper. She believes that something supernatural has been summoned – and that she is at the center of it all.
Don’t Worry Darling
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Harry Styles, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan
A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.
Smile
Release Date: now playing
Cast: Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Jessie T. Usher
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.
Halloween Ends
Release Date: 13 October 2022
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, Will Patton
Halloween Ends kicks off four years after the events of Halloween Kills, where Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. When a young man is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.
Prey for the Devil
Release Date: 27 October 2022
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Jacqueline Byers, Nicholas Ralph
A nun prepares to perform an exorcism and comes face to face with a demonic force with mysterious ties to her past.
Contact us for advertising opportunities in cinema.
Source: IMDB and YouTube
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, hosted an awards ceremony on Wednesday 14th September 2022 to celebrate this year’s winning agencies.
The 2022 Cannes Lions Festival received a total of 358 entries from the UAE, of which 61 received shortlists and 22 won Lions – including 2 Grand Prix, 2 Gold, 13 Silver and 5 Bronze Lions.
This year’s winners across Outdoor, Print & Publishing, Media, Entertainment for Sport, Direct, Digital Craft, Creative Commerce, Social & Influencer, PR, and Film Craft categories include:
Creative heads and their respective team members from this year’s winning agencies attended the awards ceremony for an evening of networking over refreshments, followed by being presented with the most coveted trophies in the advertising industry – the LIONS.
Also in attendance were Rebecca Menezes and Eduardo Cesar from Saatchi & Saatchi MEA who represented the UAE at the Young Lions Digital Competition, and Fatma Al Suwaidi from American University in Dubai who represented the country at the Roger Hatchuel Academy student program as part of the Cannes Lions Festival.
Congratulations to all winning agencies, and we look forward to many more wins at next year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Check out the latest ads on the BIG screen in the month of September
With summer holidays drawing to a close, kids back in school and life in general back to its normal routine, September has been a buzzing month at the cinema.
From Indian superhero movie Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, to the return of rom-coms with Ticket to Paradise and psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling, the BIG Screen has been delivering a variety of content for all audience types over September.
Our pre-show too has witnessed an array of brand ads. From luxury brands to the world’s largest international airline and Sweden’s very own home furnishing store, check out the ads on the BIG Screen across our network of cinemas in the first half of September:
Ikea
Agency: PHD Media
Ad Duration: 30 Secs
Campaign Duration: 1st September 2022 to 5th October 2022 (UAE), 1st September to 28th September 2022 (Qatar)
Country: UAE, Qatar
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX locations and Reel Cinemas: The Dubai Mall
Louis Vuitton Kids
Agency: Spark Foundry
Ad Duration: 1st September to 28th September 2022.
Campaign Duration: 60 Secs
Country: UAE, KSA
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX and Reel locations
Hermès – H24
Agency: Havas Middle East
Ad Duration: 15th September 2022 to 28th September 2022
Campaign Duration: 30 Secs
Country: UAE, Kuwait, Qatar
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX locations and Reel Cinemas The Dubai Mall
Hermès – Terre d’Hermès
Agency: Havas Middle East
Ad Duration: 15th September 2022 to 28th September 2022
Campaign Duration: 30 Secs
Country: KSA, Bahrain
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX locations
Bahrain Tourism
Agency: Direct Client
Ad Duration: 15th September 2022 to 21st September 2022
Campaign Duration: 30 Secs
Country: KSA
Cinema Locations: VOX Cinemas and Muvi Cinemas
Emirates Airlines
Agency: UM MENA
Ad Duration: 15th September 2022 to 28st September 2022
Campaign Duration: 30 Secs
Country: KSA
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX,Cinépolis, AMC and Muvi cinema locations
Contact us for more information on booking cinema ads on the screens across our cinema circuit in the Middle East.
