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LATVIA – INESE LUKAŠEVSKA IS AWARDED THE GRAND PRIX AT THE CANNES FESTIVAL, REWRITING THE HISTORY OF ACHIEVEMENTS FOR LATVIA
Producer Inese Lukaševska and her agency Luka triumphed at the prestigious Heavent Awards in Cannes, winning the Grand Prix and gold in the B2B category. The jury decided that the event Soul of the Strings organised by the agency was the best among all the international entries.
This is the second time that the agency Luka has been awarded the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival and the first time in the history of the festival that the highest honour has not
only been awarded to the same agency, but also twice in a row when the agency has participated.
A total of 161 entries from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, and other countries were submitted in 11 categories.
The entries in the festival finals included the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris, and events by world-renowned brands such as Google, YouTube, BMW, Deloitte, Pernod Ricard, Norwegian Air, L’oreal, and many others. “Winning at the Cannes Festival twice in a row, taking home the main prize and gold in your category, is more than unreal. At the moment, I feel like I am watching a film that is not about me. Not only because it is a historical achievement for Latvia, but also because of the continued recognition we are still receiving from both the jury and the audience.
After the awards ceremony, we couldn’t leave the hall because people had lined up to share their appreciation for the meaningfulness of the project and the creativity that had impressed them. At that moment, I felt like we were awarded another Grand Prix. And it was surreal knowing how unequal our working conditions are compared to other countries, how small our budget is, and that we have no state support, yet we left Cannes with the main prize twice in a row,” said I. Lukaševska.
The regulations of Heavent Awards stipulate that only the main prize is awarded, there are no second or third place awards. The competition is complicated due to the
high proportion of French participants and the voting system. The category winners are determined by a combination of the jury’s evaluation, which makes up 60%, and
the audience vote, which accounts for 40%. This means that you have only 30 seconds to impress the audience while your project video is being shown. However, the
winner of the Grand Prix is selected solely by the competition jury, which this year included representatives from Nike, Jaguar, Shiseido group, Google, and others. The winner was selected based on creativity, the quality of the submitted project, its efficiency, the objectives achieved, live presentation, respect for environmental and
social issues, etc. Luka managed to “beat” such global brands as Google, YouTube, BMW, and many others.
The Soul of the Strings aimed to use a unique artistic language to show neurology professors from 12 countries the everyday life of their patients with neurological conditions, from total darkness to successful treatment. The event was created as a three-hour performance of gastronomy and choreography depicting three cycles of patients’ lives: life in darkness, transformation, and the ability to experience life in full colour.
“Our event was unique not only in its meaning, which is conveyed through the language of art, but also in the fact that the food, the way of serving, design, clothes, sound and light projections, different multimedia solutions became a unified 360- degree scenography that addressed all five human senses. Through various experiments, science, and art, we created a unique language to communicate the very painful topics of neurology and human health. At the same time, we created a multi- medial reflection where professors can see themselves and how their decisions impact human life,” said I. Lukaševska.
For additional information and photographs from the event:
Inese Lukaševska,
Phone: 29536344
E-mail: inese@luka.lv