Germany Triumphs at Cannes Lions 2024, Tripling Last Year's Wins

Germany celebrated an outstanding number of wins at this year's Cannes Lions festival, taking home three times more awards than last year, for a total of 51 accolades, including three Grands Prix.

One of the Grand Prix-winning campaigns, ‘The Square Meter’ for DIY home improvement store, won the Grand Prix for Film Craft. Created by Heimat\TBWA Berlin and produced by PF-Tony Petersen Film GmbH and Revolver Films, in collaboration with Icon Films Romania, the campaign showcased various innovative solutions for maximising and redesigning domestic spaces through a series of vignettes transforming square-metre sets into household interiors.

Commenting on the relatability of the spot, Guido Heffels, co-founder and CCO of Heimat\TBWA, says: "Our TVC addresses a topic that is relevant to everyone - making the most of every square-metre due to rising rents. HORNBACH achieves this without being a spoilsport. As always, there are good years and less good years (in Cannes). Germany did very well this year. Next year? I have no idea. Winning in Cannes always has something to do with the necessary luck that lifts every good work to the top. It has a lot to do with the dynamics of the respective jury."

The campaign caught the jurors' eye thanks to its attention to detail and focus on craft. Speaking at a Cannes Lion press conference last week, Film Craft jury president Prasoon Pandey, an ad filmmaker at Corcoise Films India, remarked, “It is rare to see all cinematic arts come together so perfectly to turn a DIY subject into a film with magical intrigue.”

The project also won two Gold Lions, also in Film Craft, for Achievement in Production and Direction and one Silver Lion in Cinematography. 

The national newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung won the second Grand Prix for Industry Craft for its ‘The 100th Edition’ campaign. Created and produced by Scholz & Friends, it extended the brand's long-standing ‘Brilliant Minds’ series. The campaign collaborated with renowned director Wim Wenders, adapting the style from the brand's previous 99 iterations for Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th 2024. The concept centred on an iconic cultural figure, whose face was obscured by the large broadsheet, leaving only their circumstances to hint at their identity. For this edition, 102-year-old Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer took centre stage at Berlin's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, standing against growing right-wing extremism and promoting a message of humanity, respect, and tolerance.

“Margot Friedländer has an unbelievable presence,” says Mirko Derpmann, creative director at Scholz & Friends Berlin. “In the photo, Wim Wenders and Philipp Webber show Margot Friedländer as a tiny individual in comparison to the history she represents. But at the same time, they also highlight her strong presence. She survived. More generally, this year, German campaigns have been taking aim at internationally relatable topics. Campaigns that are not made for Cannes; that are deeply rooted in insight and experience. Whether mocking the struggles of finding an affordable flat or commenting on the rise of antisemitism in Germany, brands here understand the importance of knowing their subject and remaining relevant as a way of moving people.”

Industry Craft Jury president Kalpesh Patankar, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett United Arab Emirates, praised the campaign at his press conference: “What truly struck a chord with us wasn’t just the iconic nature of the piece. It was the message: ‘It’s important to me to be human.’ In a time where the world feels divided, this work transcended our differences and dared us all to be human. Honest, beautiful, painful, hopeful, human.”

Germany's final Grand Prix win went to ‘The First Speech’ for Reporters Without Borders, which was conceived by Innocean Berlin and produced by Stink Berlin. The campaign, consisting of three films, received the Grand Prix for Good prize, which is exclusively available to gold-winning non-profit organisations. Marking the organisation's 30th anniversary, the campaign reminded people of the importance of perspective by featuring historic speeches from authoritarian leaders such as Putin, Maduro, and Erdogan from Russia, Venezuela, and Turkey. By highlighting the persuasiveness of their early rhetoric, the campaign underscored the significance of media freedom. Its simplistic approach resonated deeply with the jurors, earning it top honours.

"This campaign serves as a reminder to voters to keep an eye on who they deposit their trust to," says Ricardo Wolff, executive creative director at Innocean Berlin, about the campaign's success. "It's no secret that free press and human rights are the first victims of authoritarian regimes, that's why when we display the first speeches of three autocrats who are still in power, which were full of hopeful promises, we're warning people not to make the same mistakes now. That, together with an incredible execution, made the campaign relevant and compelling. I'm really happy to see German clients with a strong creative heritage receiving heavy metals on the international stage this year. Hornbach's 'Square Meter' and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's '100th Edition' were accompanied by extraordinary craft, which no one in the jury could shoot down. Every second of Hornbach's film keeps you entertained and curious about what's coming next, while FAZ's photo is breathtaking and chilling at the same time. It feels good to have 'The First Speech' awarded next to these two ideas."

Justin Stiebel, managing director at Stink Films Germany considers what drove the spot's success in Cannes: “There’s a few reasons why the message of this spot is so important today. 2024 is the biggest election year in history. There’s over 80 countries holding elections and an estimated four billion voters heading to the polls. People around the world are being invited to rethink their political allegiance while also feeling the impact of many wars and devastation. We’re also grappling with the rise of right-wing ideology and previous election manipulations that led to widespread distrust in governments. This is an important time to remind people about honesty and factual reporting. Creativity in Germany is thriving at the moment. Production companies are investing in new talent, and agencies and clients are also being brave – that’s what really allows us to create things out of the box. This campaign is a great example because Innocean’s creative team was super collaborative and trusting and that’s a trend we’re continuing to see more of.”

German creatives set a new benchmark this year, winning a total of 51 Lions, including 12 Gold, 12 Silver, 24 Bronze, and 3 Grand Prix. This is a remarkable increase from last year's 17 accolades, particularly impressive given that fewer Lions were awarded in 2024 – 841 compared to 876 last year.