The 2024 Jury Presidents line-up features 11 industry experts from nine distinct markets, showcasing the comprehensive scope of the branded communications ecosystem
Dubai Lynx, MENA’s leading platform for creative excellence and effectiveness, has announced 11 industry experts who will lead the 2024 Juries.
The 11 industry experts from nine different markets, representing the breadth of the branded communications ecosystem including creative agencies, independent agencies, and brands, will convene in Dubai alongside their respective juries to establish the benchmark for creative excellence across MENA.
Commenting on the Jury President line-up, Philip Thomas, Chairman, LIONS and Dubai Lynx, said: “We welcome a wonderfully talented group of experts for 2024, to recognise the best ideas shaping the landscape in this unique part of the world. We thank them for their individual perspectives, expertise and experience for the leadership they will bring to the very important task ahead of them.”
Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman, Dubai Lynx, added: “We’re thrilled to bring a breadth of voices and perspectives to the Jury rooms for Dubai Lynx 2024, featuring some truly remarkable creative leaders. We’re grateful to all of our 2024 Jurors for devoting their time and knowledge, and we can’t wait to see them in action in Dubai next year.”
The 2024 Dubai Lynx Jury Presidents have been announced as follows:
Brand Experience & Activation and Creative Commerce:
Rafael Rizuto, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative, US and Hispanic LATAM
Creative Effectiveness and Creative Strategy:
Bertille Toledano, President, BETC Paris, France
Design and Industry Craft:
Rajdeepak Das, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett and Chairman, Creative Council, Publicis Groupe, South Asia
Digital and Social & Influencer:
Anna Qvennerstedt, Global Chief Creative Officer, Forsman & Bodenfors, Global
Direct and Outdoor:
Nkgabiseng Motau, Co-Founder / Chief Creative Officer, Think Creative Africa, Africa
Entertainment:
Ana Balarin, Chief Creative Officer, Wieden+Kennedy, UK
Film Craft:
Pierre Nelwan, Managing Director, Media.Monks, the Netherlands
Film, Print & Publishing, Radio & Audio, Integrated, Glass: The Award for Change and Grand Prix for Good:
Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer, Grey, Global
Healthcare:
Rohini Miglani, Vice President, Procter & Gamble International Operational SA SG, Asia/India/MEA
Media:
Enyi Nwosu, Chief Strategy Officer, UM London, UK
PR:
Anthony Chelvanathan, Chief Creative Officer, Canada
The Festival will take place on Tuesday 5 March 2024 followed by the Awards Ceremony & Dinner taking place on Wednesday 6 March 2024.
Entries into Dubai Lynx are being accepted until 25 January 2024. Click here for further information on the awards.
Motivate Val Morgan is the official representative of Dubai Lynx Festival in the UAE
Shah Rukh Khan-starring blockbuster Jawan garnered USD$78M worldwide in its opening weekend
Jawan, one of the most highly anticipated Bollywood movies of 2023 starring Shah Rukh Khan, has finally made its grand debut on the silver screen. The action thriller has shattered records, grossing over USD$78M worldwide in just one week and attracting over 440,000 cinemagoers in the Middle East.
With cinemas buzzing, renowned brands across the region seized this unique opportunity by securing on-screen advertising to establish connections with captive cinema audiences on the big screen.
From FMCG brands to real estate developers, and healthcare groups, here are the cinema campaigns booked to follow the action-thriller Jawan:
Gazebo Restaurant
Region: UAE
Duration: 30 Sec.
Prime Medical Center
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
Everest Spices
Region: UAE
Duration: 35 & 40 Secs.
Bafleh Jewelery
Region: UAE
Duration: 30 Sec.
Jaguar World
Region: UAE
Duration: 30 Sec.
Absolute Barbecue
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
Sushila Jewelers
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
Meteora Developers
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
Unilever – Glow & Lovely
Region: UAE
Duration: 10 Sec.
Unilever – Comfort Rinse
Region: UAE
Duration: 20 Sec.
Kaya Skin Clinic
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
Ajmal Perfumes
Region: UAE
Duration: 15 Sec.
P&G – Ariel
Region: UAE
Duration: 20 Sec.
Bawree
Region: UAE
Duration: 30 Sec.
ITC
Region: UAE
Duration: 30 Sec.
Think cinema for ‘attention-grabbing’ advertising!
Check out the list of upcoming blockbusters in Q4 2023 and contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across the GCC, Egypt and Lebanon.
The 2023 Dubai Lynx Creativity Report saw Publicis Groupe sweep four Special Award wins, while ‿ and us recorded a top three position for the third year running. Additionally, Sweetwater MEA recorded their first ever ranking in Independent Agency of the Year
Dubai Lynx, MENA’s Festival and Awards for creative excellence in branded communications, has today published the first Dubai Lynx Creativity Report. The Report, which is available to everyone, shines a light on the best creative work, as selected by Lynx Juries and includes the rankings for this year’s top performing Networks, Agencies and Companies from the MENA region.
The 2023 rankings saw Publicis Groupe sweep four Special Award wins, taking first place in Network of the Year, Media Network of the Year, MENA Agency of the Year and the Lynx Palm Award. Saatchi & Saatchi ranked in the top three for the first time in their history, taking second place in both MENA Agency of the Year and Network of the Year. ‿ and us secured a top three position in Independent Agency of the Year for the third Festival running, and Sweetwater MEA record their first ever ranking.
Speaking about the report, Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman, Dubai Lynx, said, “2023 has been an exciting year for Dubai Lynx, with the successful return of a physical event and now to have released the first Dubai Lynx Creativity Report. The trends and themes emerging from this year’s winning work showed brands to be disruptive, positively affecting culture and truly innovative. I’d like to congratulate all the shortlisted and winning companies, for setting the benchmark for creativity in MENA for a 16th year.”
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, added, “The Dubai Lynx Creativity Report is a celebration of the most creative ideas from the region and we are excited to be able to share this with our community in MENA. This year’s winners showed a renewed emphasis on companies investing in creativity for growth, using cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas to reach commercial goals. Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted, or who won a Lynx Award. Your work is raising the standard of creativity, in MENA and beyond.”
The rankings are compiled using data from Lynx-winning and shortlisted work from 2023. The Dubai Lynx Creativity Report is powered by LIONS’ intelligence platform, The Work, housing the world’s most extraordinary creative thinking with insights on how it was briefed, researched, produced and crafted. The report is an essential tool for benchmarking creative excellence and effectiveness for the year ahead, sharing analysis and insights from the winning work and lessons on how brands are growing businesses and tackling some of the region’s most challenging problems in innovative ways. The themes covered include: ‘Speaking truth to power’, ‘Cutting through with commerce’, ‘Finding regional relevance’ and ‘Harnessing football fever’.
Access the full report, here
All results for the Dubai Lynx Awards can be found here.
Dubai Municipality booked an off-screen cinema campaign to promote the eco-friendly Dubai Safari Park starting 10 November 2022.
The Branded popcorn tubs were distributed to moviegoers at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Center Mirdif, City Center Al Zahia, and City Center Deira.
Dubai Safari Park also took over the digital screens at VOX Mall of the Emirates – the hero screen above the candy bar and the large screen at the entrance to the IMAX auditorium.
Contact us for more on how off screen cinema advertising could help move your brand closer to its target audience.
Related Articles:
FIFA | Integrated Cinema Campaign | UAE & KSA
Armani Code | Integrated Cinema Campaign | KSA
The META Film Fest will be a three-day event filled with star-studded premieres, celebrating Hollywood, Bollywood, Arab and African content.
The inaugural META Film Fest has been launched by META Cinema Forum – the pioneering cinema convention for Middle East and Africa, in partnership with VOX Cinemas – the largest cinema exhibitor in the region, and is set to bring the latest blockbusters as well as independent, regional, and local productions to movie lovers over a three-day jammed packed festival from 27-29 October, at VOX Cinemas Nakheel Mall in Dubai, UAE.
Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, The Great Minds Group (organizers of the META Cinema Forum) stated, “a selection committee will review all the submissions from around the global and the final 30-40 films will make it to the festival. Expect at least four to five blockbusters that will premiere with their stars walking the red carpet, after-parties with talents, and it will all culminate with an awards ceremony honouring the best in cinema.”
A film fund is another feature of this festival, where 2 pre-production content ideas submitted by regional talent, one full feature film idea and one documentary idea, will be chosen to be funded for production, and will be subsequently screened at the festival’s future editions and will be supported through marketing and worldwide distribution. This feature is dedicated to discovering Arab talent and contributing to production of world class Arabic content.
While the region was initially exposed to festivals such as Dubai International Film Festival and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the META Film Fest is billed as the first private-sector and industry stakeholder-led film festival in the Middle East and Africa.
“We are trying to engage as many audiences as we can at this festival … This is going to be a place for creative people to sit together, develop ideas, and produce great content too,” added Masinaei .
Due to the festival’s location, the event guarantees one of the most diversified audiences present at any festival, while boasting the legendary glitz and glamour of Dubai.
Sources: META Film Fest and Gulf News
Laxmii – the first big-budget Bollywood Blockbuster to release post COVID-19 lockdown!
The Akshay Kumar starring film that everyone has been waiting for – Laxmii, will finally hit cinemas in the UAE on Monday, 9th November 2020. The film – a remake of Tamil blockbuster Muni 2: Kanchana, is directed by Raghava Lawrence and will also feature stars such as Kiara Advani, Tusshar Kapoor, Sharad Kelkar and Ashwini Kalsekar.
The Horror comedy film revolves around Akshay Kumar who plays a dual role: Asif – a man who doesn’t believe in ghosts, and Laxmii – a powerful and radiant transgender ghost seeking revenge.
Fox Star Studios, the leading production house confirmed that the movie will simultaneously have a theatrical release in Australia, New Zealand and UAE, and will release on their OTT platform – Disney+ Hotstar for audiences in India.
Here’s everything we know about Laxmii prior to its release:
Director:
Raghava Lawrence – mainly known for Telugu and Tamil movies, originally embarked on the idea to direct Muni 2: Kanchana when a trust run by him was approached by a group of transgenders. Upon hearing their story, he decided to take the social message to a much wider audience by portraying it on the big screen, and based on its success, moved on to remake the film with title name Laxmii, extending it to Hindi audiences.
Movie Title Change:
The film was originally titled Laxmmi Bomb up until 29th October 2020, but changed to Laxmii with a view to respect religious sentiments of a group of protestors in India. This is not the first-time intolerance in India has won though, for back in 2018, the epic period drama film Padmavati was changed to Padmaavat.
Trailer Success:
When the trailer dropped on 9th October 2020, it became the most viewed movie trailer in India in just 24 hours with 70 million views (YouTube + other social media platforms).
Song Feature on the Burj Khalifa:
UAE has always been a popular destination with directors and producers of both Hollywood and Bollywood. From natural and man-made landscapes; which are vast and varied, flame hued deserts, to futuristic skylines and iconic landmarks, UAE has been featured as the backdrop in numerous films that released in 2020 and from back in the past.
Popular films featuring UAE include Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Fast & Furious 7 (2015) and most recently Jackie Chan’s action movie Vanguard (2020) and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi/adventure Dune (set to release in 2021).
Certain scenes of Laxmii too were filmed in the emirate of Dubai, which include the desert and Dubai Marina. The film also dedicates a song to the iconic Burj Khalifa – a trendy single that has grabbed eyeballs across the internet and is expected to be one of the biggest Bollywood party anthems of the year.
Advertisers…. here’s an opportunity to target Asian audiences in the lead up to Diwali. We’ve also recently launched a ‘Special Offer’ for advertising alongside this movie. Contract a member of our sales team for more information on the Laxmii ‘Special Offer’.
Sources: IndiaTV News, Times of India, Condé Nast Traveller, The Hindu, The National and Gulf News
LIONS Live, the five-day virtual broadcast, will run from 19-23 October, 2020.
Cannes Lions is back with its second edition of LIONS Live – five days of practical insight and an insider’s view of creative excellence as Grand Prix and Gold Lion-winning teams share honest accounts of how their work came to light (or perhaps nearly didn’t).
Hosted on the Cannes Lions global platform, LIONS Live is free to access, for the entire global community, from 19-23 October 2020.
Each day is themed and designed to offer practical insight to impact careers, transform business and drive progress through creativity. The event will conclude with an expert “how to” guide from creative stalwarts, provocateurs and agitators who will provide a breakdown of the day’s learning into practical next steps.
What’s On:
Day 1: Creative Culture & Leadership
Industry leaders from around the world reveal the practicalities behind driving a creative culture.Hear from multi-award-winning creatives on how they’re remotely leading transparent, inclusive and flexible work environments that enable creativity to thrive.
Day 2: Creativity in Action, Part One
Celebrate the brilliant thinking and craft that goes into delivering the world’s best creative campaigns. The team will lift the lid on Grand Prix winning work from Berlin, Copenhagen, London, New York and Warsaw and one can hear brutally honest accounts from the people who worked behind the scenes from beginning to end.
Day 3: Creative Effectiveness
In June, LIONS introduced new research around Creative Effectiveness and a new framework for measuring creativity – the Creative Effectiveness Ladder. The line-up will explore work that has driven consistent business growth, what “creative commitment” actually means, and how one can produce outstanding results on a smaller budget. At a time when marketers need to justify every buck, this day will provide some answers.
Day 4: Creativity in Action, Part Two
Thursday is part two of “Creativity in Action series”. Work from Dubai, Stockholm, São Paulo, Tel Aviv will be dissected by the people who actually made it as part of the “Behind the Scenes” format devised by the team at LIONS, based on the feedback that one wanted more case studies on award-winning campaigns. Tune in for another day of the world’s best work deconstructed.
Day 5: Creative Capabilities and Processes
On the final day of LIONS Live, interesting talent from all over the world will share how they are producing fast, cheap, good work right now, from home. Does one need an entirely new set of capabilities to keep up with consumer demands or can one just make some easy tweaks? This day will turn some of your existing thinking on its head and may even ask you to reconsider whether what your current way of doing things is actually the best way.
Join LIONS Live:
LIONS Live has partnered with Google to live-stream content through YouTube, with all content also being available on demand through the LIONS Live platform.
Click here to register for LIONS Live for free.
Click here to access the full programme.
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE.
Related Article:
LIONS Live – A Global Meeting Of Minds
Source: Cannes Lions
More cinemas reopen in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and parts of UAE after the three month COVID-19 closure.
Saudi Arabia lifted its national curfew on June 21, 2020 and resumed commercial activities, which included the reopening of cinemas across the country. However, in line with government restrictions, social distancing remains in place and wearing of masks is mandatory.
VOX and Muvi Cinemas have opened its door to patrons who have dearly missed one of their favourite pastimes since the lockdown was imposed. The two cinema exhibitors also posted videos on their social media channels highlighting the safety and precautionary measures they have taken to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for cinemagoers:
View this post on Instagram
Click here for more information on VOX health and safety measures
Egypt significantly eased regulations against the spread of the coronavirus, cancelling the overnight lockdown on June 23, 2020, with cinemas among the list of venues allowed to reopen. VOX Cinemas Egypt opened its doors to the public on June 27, 2020, with all necessary health and safety measures in place – in line with government guidelines.
View this post on Instagram
Following the reopening of cinemas in Dubai and Ajman, and as part of the reopening of economic and tourism activities, cinemas in in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah also reopened at 50 per cent capacity on June 24, 2020. Individuals entering cinemas are still required to have their temperature checked at the entrance, wear face masks and observe physical distancing of two metres.
Cinemas in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt will screen previously released blockbusters from 2019 and early 2020, until new blockbusters start releasing from July 2020.
Contact us for more information on our attractive reopening cinema advertising packages in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE.
Related Article:
Cinemas Reopen in Dubai and Ajman – UAE
Sources: Gulf Business and The National
Dubai’ welcomes its second drive-in cinema with the launch of Reel’s – The Dubai Mall Zabeel experience.
Reel Cinemas launched its drive-in cinema at The Dubai Mall on Saturday 30th May, 2020.
Located at the rooftop parking space of the mall’s Zabeel extension, the latest addition to Reel’s portfolio allows moviegoers in Dubai to watch films on the big screen – with the iconic Burj Khalifa and the city’s skyline in the background, while adhering to social distancing rules and guidelines. The movie can be heard by tuning car radios to a set FM frequency of 88.3.
The cinema accommodates 70 cars, with allocated parking arranged based on the car size for an optimum viewing experience for all. Only two people per car are allowed and ticket bookings have to be made via the Reel Cinemas website. Age restrictions do apply, with anyone under 12 years and over 60 unable to attend for now.
Tickets cost Dh170 per car, and include a food and beverage package for two people, which consist of one cheese popcorn, one salted popcorn, one regular nachos, two chocolate bars, two soft drinks and two water bottles. Food carts are also available for those who wish to make additional food orders.
Earlier in May, VOX Cinemas launched its drive-in experience at Mall of the Emirates.
The revival of the drive-in cinema concept – which has also seen an upswing in the US and Europe, offers movie lovers a safe way to engage in one of their favorite pastimes during these unprecedented times, whilst maintaining social distancing and enjoying a bucket of popcorn.
Here’s a list of movies that will be showing at Reel Cinemas Drive-in at The Dubai Mall Zabeel:
Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw, BloodShot, Bombshell, 21 Bridges, The Hustle, Rambo Last Blood, Gemini Man, Bad Boys for Life, The Gentleman, Jumanji Next Level, Fantasy Island, 1917, Fast and Furious 8, Angel has Fallen, A Quiet Place, Mission Impossible Fallout, Fighting with my Family, The Invisible Man, The Upside, Knives Out, Men in Black International, Midway, Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom, Childs Play, Aqua Man, Misbehaviour, The Grudge, Charlie’s Angels, Crawl, The Wretched and Shazam.
For more information, visit www.reelcinemas.ae, and don’t forget to check out their Drive-in experience FAQs.
Sources: The National, Gulf News, What’s On and Reel Cinemas
Related Article:
VOX Opens Rooftop Drive-in Cinema at Mall of the Emirates
Dubai resumed the gradual reopening of business activities on Wednesday 27th May 2020 from 6am to 11pm in the city’s latest move to ease Covid-19 restrictions – which also included the reopening of cinemas across the emirate.
The emirate of Ajman followed suit with the opening of cinemas on Saturday 30th May 2020.
Currently, in line with government restrictions, individuals are still required to observe precautionary measures including wearing face masks and observing physical distancing of two metres, and individuals above the age of 60 and children under 13 years will not be allowed to enter cinemas.
Re-opening Dubai (Post Eid Al Fitr) – Cinema Protocols
VOX and Reel posted videos on their social media channels highlighting the safety and precautionary measures they have taken to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for moviegoers:
View this post on Instagram
Click here for more information on VOX health and safety measures
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Click here for more information on new safety measures at Reel.
Movies screening across cinemas in Dubai and Ajman include: Bloodshot, The Gentlemen, Bad Boys for Life, The Invisible Man, Baaghi 3 (Hindi), 1917, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Midway, The Call of the Wild, Thief of Baghdad (Arabic), Sonic the Hedgehog, Jojo Rabbit and many other previously released blockbusters from 2019 and early 2020.
Contact us for more information on our attractive reopening cinema advertising packages in Dubai and Ajman.
Sources: Arabian Business, Khaleej Times and Dubai Economy – Government of Dubai
