Friday 21 November 2008

Meribel 08


Meribel 08…

It’s almost upon us.

Cannes smaller, cooler, more discerning boutique cousin is suiting up once more for another round of awards, workshops, seminars and an obligatory bash at the slopes in the 3 valleys.

Launched in 2001 the Meribel Ad Festival has grown steadily over its lifespan. The inaugural festival had just over 300 in attendance and this number has grown to over 1000 for the up and coming 08 meet. In just under 6 years the festival has generated the reputation of the ‘not to be missed’ end of year meet in the European advertising calendar. Considering that Meribel only opened its doors to the rest of Europe in 2004 – that is no mean feat!

The Festival attracts a heady mix of agencies, clients, media buyers, producers, directors and press (pretty much all, sundry and the kitchen sink) and provides a truly unique atmosphere for discussion and networking. Unlike the loud, showy kegger-party that is Cannes, Meribel offers up a quieter, classier, more focussed take on the years advertising. And whilst it may not be as big as its summertime cousin, it certainly doesn’t lack the punch, drawing in industry heavyweights from all over Europe, eager to contribute and indeed, learn.

Founder Christian Cappe recently announced the ambition of the festival, dubbing Meribel as the place to ‘promote European advertising creativity’

Always moving forward, Meribel has enlisted the talents of many industry luminaries to head up debates and give inspirational talks about the industry as a whole. Sister-mag Contagious are at the meet again this year pinpointing the importance of ‘people era’ focussed brands in their groundbreaking ‘wildfire’ forum. Meribel attendees can see who won which quality awards in 08 in Patrick Collister’s ‘Won Report’ as well as taking part in a multitude of other enthralling debates and talks.

We at the Reel are still most excited about The Meribel Young directors Forum, where 8 new directors are invited to the meet to take part in the festivities and have their say. This years Jury consisted of people involved in the all aspects of filmmaking, giving a broad and rich pool of opinion in the selection process.

The jury this year included:

Gérard Pirès Director
Jeremie Noël 2C Associés/Meribel Ad Festival
Olivier Dujol Bellefaye
David Green BETC EURO RSCG
Justine Valletoux CB News
Charlotte Bricard CB News
France Monnet CLM BBDO
Marc Eychenne Dailymotion
Florence Potiee-Sperry DDB PARIS
Christophe Caubel H
Fabien Fournillon Kodak
Valérie Lacoste Kodak
Fabrice Damolini Mikros Images
Gilles Gaillard (DGA) Mikros Images
Pierre Marcus Production WAM
Hani Tamba Director
Hugo Rubini Rubini & Associés
Mickaël Pradignac Shorts TV France
Renaud Chan Studio 37
Pascale Petit Les Temps Modernes


And more importantly - Winning this year was:

Abimbowé by Alex Montoya (Spain)
Bulletproof I wish I where by Brice de la Corte (France)
Interférences by David Bertram (France)
Jésus et les drogués by Antoine Della Maria (France)
Les Williams by Alban Mench (France)
Rémy by Romain Basset et Christophe Berthemin (France)
Retour Simple by Philippe Dufaux (France)
Seeking you by Jean-Julien Pous (Canada/France)


The overall competition in December close the creative year and in past years have acted as a yardstick of the coming international prizes in 09. We look forward to the fresh air and great company that Meribel always offers, and as always, can’t wait to see the new work from the agencies and directors involved!!
P.s...
The Reel will be in Meribel from the 14th - so if you want to meet up... You know where to go!

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