Brown Bag Films, the Academy Award nominated animation studio, have won a
Phenix Award for a 3D commercial produced for Grey Worldwide in the Middle
East. The Phenix Awards are the Middle East's premier advertising awards and
their equivalent to the Cannes Lions.
The winning commercial, directed by Darragh O'Connell, is for Pampa Juice
(the number one fruit juice drink brand in Lebanon) and it won the top award
in the non-alcoholic beverage category, beating off tough competition from
Pepsi, Crush and Soha brands. Brown Bag were approached with the idea of
creating a series of commercials based on the character Jean Luc (The "Ali
G" of Lebanon) who goes on a series of travels after drinking different
flavours of the drink. The commercial used a combination of 3D character
animation and live action, a first for Brown Bag who are renowned for their
award-winning 2D animation.
Rony Jazzar, President of the IAA Lebanon and President of the Jury, led the
jury of 14 Creative Directors from the Middle East advertising world to
choose the best film of each category and award the prestigious Phenix. The
ceremony was broadcast live on Satellite throughout the Arab world. Mr.
Jazzar commented, "The choice was difficult. Of the 192 selected films, 97
were nominated as finalists. The jury were so enthused by the standard of
creative that they were not simply satisfied to vote, but also deliberated
on the results." 27 Phenix Awards were given on the night.
Organised by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI),
Star Wave and the IAA Chapter-Lebanon, this year's Phenix Awards ceremony
was especially important. Usually an event held on alternate years, the 2001
awards had been carried forward due to the Gulf War resulting in Brown Bag
facing tougher competition from commercials broadcast over the past 4 years.
Brown Bag are currently working on animated stings for Nickelodeon
Television, a short film for Channel 4 and a series of commercials for Young
Euro RSCG.
