Saatchi & Saatchi has today (6/20) unveiled the lineup of global talent selected for its 2024 New Creators’ Showcase. This year’s showcase includes work from a broad range of disciplines, regions and creators, featuring 12 pieces of short film, commercial, animation and music video content from creators hailing from the UK, Holland, Spain, Belgium and Australia.
The 2024 New Creators are:
Yasmin Afifi – for the film “Jellyfish and Lobster”
Yasmin Afifi is a BAFTA winning writer/director based in London. Her short film Jellyfish and Lobster won the British Short Film award at this year’s BAFTAs 2024. She has a slate of award winning short films that have screened at many prestigious Oscar/BAFTA qualifying festivals including LFF, Leeds, Aesthetica, Encounters, Atlanta, Palm Springs and more. She’s a Directing Fiction graduate of the National Film and Television School having been awarded a full scholarship from BBC Film and is currently in development with them on her debut feature. She loves using the medium of comedy, magical realism, and absurdism to explore taboo and dark subject matters. Taking very real, grounded characters and throwing them into more conceptual worlds to explore stories with heart and relevance to the world we live in.
Abdou Cisse – “Festival of Slaps”
Abdou Cissé, a BAFTA nominated writer director from South London, burst onto the scene with his debut short film SERIOUS TINGZ. Since then, he’s been dedicated to broadening the spectrum of UK storytelling with projects that evoke wonder in the everyday, whilst fearlessly confronting social and cultural stereotypes. In 2023, he released the BAFTA nominated and BIFA and LFF award winning short, FESTIVAL OF SLAPS, and made his TV directorial debut as lead director for the BBC series GRIME KIDS.
Luis Cross – “Grandma Grilz”
Luis Cross is a Manchester-born and raised director. His work focuses on blending his distinct raw visual style with soundscapes & music to create narratives that uncover our common human desires.
Hugo Docking – “Moving Parts”
Hugo Docking is a stop motion filmmaker with a penchant for the mischievous and macabre. He uses unsettling imagery and unusual materials to create short films that are eerie, theatrical and bizarre. He is the director and co-founder of “Spare Flesh” – a Bristol-based stop motion animation and puppetry studio. They specialize in making twisted and anarchic animations using a blend of dark comedy, body horror and musical theatre.
Jose Hernandez and Victor Morón – “Nigerian Prince”
Jose Hernandez and Víctor Morón have worked together for a decade in advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi London, 180 Amsterdam, and Ogilvy Amsterdam. Hernandez, an art director and graphic designer, is also a self-taught documentary photographer with work published in Vogue, ELLE, and VICE. He is skilled in AI technologies like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney. Morón, a copywriter, has interests beyond advertising that are deeply rooted in startups, scale-ups, and entrepreneurial ventures. He co-founded REBO, a smart bottle partnered with adidas. He also loves writing poetry, fiction, and creating impossible worlds with ChatGPT. Together, they are AI storytellers crafting high-end AI images, films, and music, dedicated to building an ideal world free from judgment.
Daria Kashcheeva – “Electra”
A generational talent within film making, Daria Kashcheeva is a Tajikistani-born Czech animator. Her 2019 film Daughter – initially delivered as a graduation film – was an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. Kashcheeva’s 2023 film Electra premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was later screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the award for Best International Short Film.
Philip James McGoldrick – “Born of Violence”
Philip James McGoldrick is an award winning British- European film director, writer and producer. Born in Warsaw in 1987, Philip graduated with honors from the RITCS film academy (Brussels), and subsequently received a scholarship to study Directing Fiction at The National Film & Television School (UK). He is currently developing his first feature film with support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund.
Aube Perrie – “Lost”
Aube Perrie is a director whose visual flare and vibrant craft have established him globally as one of the most in demand directors in music video. His promos for Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, MK and The Hives have swept up awards across the board. He’s since burst onto the commercial scene, collaborating with W+K on Old Spice.
PHC – “Crumpler”
PHC is the creative collaboration between director/cinematographer John Angus Stewart and producer Max Coles where authentic and unique characters lay at the heart of their brand of raw and visceral storytelling. Their commercial work debut came in 2023 for iconic Australian brand, Crumpler, acting as agency, production company, writer & director. The launch took them to Tokyo to unearth rarely seen subcultures. The huge success of the campaign led to a follow up in 2024 in Melbourne.
Tom Stuart – “GOOD BOY”
Tom Stuart’s directorial debut GOOD BOY starring Ben Whishaw, was shortlisted this year for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. It was accepted into multiple prestigious film festivals including Sundance London, Raindance, BFI Flare, Leeds and Santa Barbara.
Celine van Heel – “True beauty has no age”
Celine van Heel is Spanish/Dutch, born in Athens. She discovered photography three years ago through her 92-year-old grandfather, for whom she created an Instagram account, @thespanishking_. He became her first model and muse, inspiring her to pursue photography. He taught her that age doesn’t limit creativity, that wrinkles and rarity are beautiful. She loves capturing rare, extravagant subjects and believes that more is more, with color as her religion.
Joe Weiland & Finn Constantine – “Marion”
Joe Weiland is a BAFTA-nominated writer and director from London. His debut film “Gorka” was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film. Joe has a background in television, commercials, and music videos. Finn Constantine is a director and photographer working across fashion, art and music. He’s worked with brands such as Gucci, Adidas and Bottega Veneta. Constantine is the founder of art magazine “Plaster” working across digital, print and video with the world’s leading artists. Having shot countless music videos and recently nominated for a UKMVA, he’s now moved into narrative work.
Giving emerging motion creators the opportunity to have their work broadcast on a global stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the 2024 showcase was presented by U.K. chief creative officer Franki Goodwin, and continues Saatchi & Saatchi’s long-standing commitment to platforming, championing and hiring emerging talent.
Beyond dedicating its platform at Cannes to introducing up-and-coming creators to the biggest names in the creative industries, Saatchi’s New Creators’ Showcase offers direct funding and employment to emerging talent.
First, through its existing partnership with Channel 4 in the UK, one of this year’s creators will have a short film commissioned, funded and screened through Random Acts. Additionally, in 2024 Saatchi & Saatchi has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that all of the shortlisted creators have the opportunity to collaborate with the agency and its partners, with the support of clients including John Lewis, Waitrose, EE and British Heart Foundation.
The creators will have access to dedicated support from the Saatchi production department as part of this process across the next 12 months. Last year’s creators have gone on to work on commercial Saatchi & Saatchi projects across the globe for brands such as Nivea and Deutsche Telekom.
Saatchi & Saatchi UK CCO Goodwin said, “Judging the film category in Cannes alongside the NCS submissions this year has been fascinating and a timely reminder of just how hard it is cut through in the medium. Congratulations to all of the filmmakers on the reel for doing so in such exceptional and diverse ways. I look forward to continuing our commitment to finding opportunities across our network for all of our alumni and bringing their craft and vision to jury rooms of the future.”
Since 1991, the showcase has provided a platform for up-and-coming creators at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
