Cannes - Today, Saatchi & Saatchi presents the best new directing talent from around the world at the 20^th Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase (NDS), continuing its unwavering commitment to creativity worldwide.

Commenting on the content of the 2010 Showcase, Richard Myers, Saatchi & Saatchi’s Creative Director for Global Culture, says:

“If a theme emerges from this year’s Showcase, it’s probably the affirmation that creativity has not become a casualty of recession. There’s humour – both off the wall and more conventional.  There’s genuine visual exploration and pioneering.  And there’s no shortage of real filmmaking craft.”

The NDS has always been single-minded in its focus on new directors from around the world and to this day remains true to this legacy.

To find the featured directors, Saatchi & Saatchi invites submissions from directors across the globe and uses its Network of some 140 offices worldwide, as well as relationships with key on-line sources. From an initial line up of several hundred directors, the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board make the final selection of just 20.

Richard Myers explains:

“Directors have always needed to be blessed with unnaturally high levels of optimism. It’s especially true for today’s new directors. They have both the recession and an understandably cautious industry to contend with. Not to mention huge competition.”

“There’s reason to be optimistic too that we’re seeing signs of the ‘anyone-can-make-a-movie’ democracy beginning to evolve into something still vibrant but less naïve, more competent and genuinely creative.”

To celebrate 20 years of the NDS, Saatchi & Saatchi uses cutting edge technology to make the impossible possible as Paul Arden, creative luminary, posthumously presents the Showcase alongside Richard Myers. Both appear on stage as holograms created by Musion and Square Zero.  Paul Arden introduced the first ever New Directors’ Showcase back in 1991, when he was Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi London.  Sadly he died two years ago.

Commenting on the event, Richard Myers says:

“Nothing is Impossible is the way Saatchi & Saatchi approaches things. It could also be applied, timelessly, to the business of filmmaking.  Paul Arden himself lived his life driven by the conviction that you can do anything, and being able to bring him back two years after he passed away to front the 20^th Showcase is a pleasing demonstration of this philosophy in action.”

Tom Eslinger, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Digital Creative Director, comments:

"Being creative with tech and tools like holography and stereoscopic screens moves sight, sound and motion beyond the 2D and opens the doors for ideas to not only live beyond TV and print, but beyond mobiles and PCs. Saatchi & Saatchi has been early in mobile and augmented reality and our learnings with Musion for the NDS is another case of hands-on work that passes directly to our Network and clients."

The Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase has become one of the most popular events during the Cannes Lions Festival. Again this year, it took place in The Grand Auditorium. The Showcase was again webcast on the Cannes Lions website.  Past Showcases have featured directors such as Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Danny Kleinman, Tarsem, Jonathan Glazer, David Cronenberg, Mark Romanek, Jason Reitman, Chris Palmer and Chris Cunningham.

World first - Saatchi & Saatchi collaborates with Aniboom on Nothing is Impossible challenge

This year, Saatchi & Saatchi partnered for the very first time with online virtual animation production studio Aniboom to launch the Nothing is Impossible Challenge. www.aniboom.com/Competition/saatchi

Tom Eslinger comments:

“As more bespoke online channels grow, we plan to partner and sponsor more competitions and events to help stir the waters and get new talent out in front quickly. We sponsor BUGvideo and found some very cool work there, and our competition with Aniboom debuted this year with the winner being given a project with Saatchi & Saatchi. With so many places for films to be distributed, having great partners who help find the cream of the crop makes the NDS more exciting, grow and evolve.”

ENDS