PORSCHE AWARD 2015 Winners Announced

The work of six talented new directors has been awarded at this year's Porsche International Student Advertising Film Award in Germany as the 12th annual ceremony took place in Ludwigsburg.

Following a final judging session on the morning of the awards (5 November), the event was held on campus at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg where India took top prize in the Automobile category for a Porsche spec ad and a social spot from Germany picked up First Prize in the Classical section.

All the winning directors and their partners (pictured above from left to right: David Feuerstein, Christian Ricken, Sumit Kumar, Moritz Rautenberg, Jacqueline Dow, Andrea Schmitt, Michael Rittmannsberger, Damien Krisl) were in attendance on the night and will receive cash prizes paying tribute to the Porsche 911 model and reflecting their place in the category (1st - €3,911, 2nd - €2,911, 3rd -  €1,911).

This yea's jury included second stage moderator Michael M. Maschke, head of creative services Saatchi & Saatchi Germany and Switzerland; Ryan Watson, news editor of shots; German actress and presenter Nova Meierhenrich; vice president and creative director of production at Orcí, Allen Perèz; and Patrick Cahill, senior international producer at agency adam&eveDDB.

Cahill also presented on the night and below you can see the work that was honoured in 2015 along with quotes from the jury explaining their decisions.

AUTOMOBILE CATEGORY

First Prize (€3,911)

Porsche My Innovative Dream

Director: Sumit Kumar, Film and Television Institute India

Jury: “Who says you need a big budget to tell a great story? Innovative Dream is a bold piece. Music, dialogue and the product are all cast away in favour of a passionately presented story connecting us to he brand, leaving us as excited as the little boy.“ 

Second Prize (€2,911)

Alfa Romeo Emotion Starts on Red

Director: Damien Krisl

Jury: "Emotion Starts on Red received our votes for its qualities as a colourful, glossy automotive spot featuring gorgeous fashion shots and beautiful landscapes. The strong visuals are accompanied by a perfectly fitting film score that turns the spot in its entirety into a sensual work of art.“

Third Prize (€1,911)

Volkswagen People’s Car

Director: David Feuerstein, Macromedia School, University of Applied Science, Germany 

Jury: “What we really liked about this spot is that it IS about the people's car. The spot had a small budget, but a very nice idea behind it, which didn't even make it necessary to show too much of the car.“

CLASSICAL CATEGORY

First Prize

Sweaty Santa

Directors: Moritz Rautenberg and Christian Ricken, University of Television and Film Munich, Germany

Jury: “Sweaty Santa would be the most fun to watch for everyone, no matter what age. That's the reason why it stood out most. It's based on a very simple but funny idea: an old childhood hero is dethroned in a very charming way, and the end is really surprising.“

Second Prize

Spotify

Music Everywhere

Director: Jacqueline Dow, New York University

Jury: "It displays a good focus on the brand as well as a current and fresh concept. We truly liked the band shown in the spot - and congratulations for finding the weirdest band in the whole world!“

Third Prize

The Culprit

Director: Michael Rittmannsberger

Jury: "The Culprit is actually more of a short film than a commercial – with great storytelling, directing, good casting and a well-made voice-over. It touches on a social problem encountered worldwide in a very committed way. The spot captures the audience's attention until it comes to a very hard ending and the main message is revealed: Love should not be punished.“

Organisers also announced that after more than a decade of success hosting in Germany, next year's event will be held in London for the first time in 2016.

The PORSCHE AWARD will be hosted and organised by Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg in cooperation with British National Film and Television School (NFTS) and the event location will then alternate between London (2016) and Ludwigsburg (2017), emphasising its international standard to a greater extent.

Read more about the winning work and interviews with the six winning new directors in issue 161 of shots, out in December.