Y-Films and India’s
first transgender pop band, the 6 Pack Band, created history late Monday night by
winning the coveted Cannes Grand Prix Glass Lion at the Cannes Lions Festival.
The unique innovation, a first of its kind ever for an Indian campaign, in
collaboration with Mindshare Mumbai and Brooke Bond Red Label, won the award
for its extraordinary campaign around gender rights and outreach.
This particular
category of the Cannes Lions Festival awards creative work that celebrates
culture-shifting creativity and addresses and impacts gender inequality,
imbalance or injustice. 30 odd brands have competed from across the world,
including four from India, but the unique 6 Pack Band initiative that
highlights the hidden talent of the ‘Hijra’ (transgender) community of India,
was chosen as the winner of the highest Cannes Lion award for the incredible
impact it has had in battling prejudice and discrimination against the
transgender community. With a population of over 1.9 million transgender people in
India, who find employment and even social acceptance an impossible challenge,
the transgender band’s ‘Hum Hain Happy’ song and its following videos present a
positive, optimistic and change-oriented mind set for India.
In a category that is
driven by Hollywood veteran actor Geena Davis and corporate role model Sheryl
Sandberg, this award is given to a project that’s delivered communication with
the potential to bring about worldwide change. A huge creative recognition, the
world’s leading brands and campaigns from top advertising agencies competed for
this prize. An independent film studio has never been nominated and considered
for this in the history of the Creative Lions.
For the category of
the Grand Prix, there were four nominees from India and each of the campaigns
focused on social awareness and empowerment. Yet, the Six Pack Band, with its
‘Hum Hain Happy’ campaign has come out on top. This is the second international
recognition for the 6 Pack Band. Recently, Y-Films and the 6 Pack Band won India its first Webby Award, the
Internet’s highest honor, in the Public Service and Activism category. The jury
for the Webbys comprised of luminaries like Kevin Spacey, Jimmy Kimmel, Biz
Stone and Shane Smith.
The 6 Pack Band has
been conceived and produced by Y Films, the youth wing of Yash Raj Films. So
far, the Six Pack Band has released five music videos, featuring the likes of
Hrithik Roshan, Sonu Nigam and Arjun Kapoor, on the Y-Films official YouTube
channel, garnering over 10 million views on its social platforms. Already
the most critically and commercially successful pop band of India today, the
sixth and final song of the 6 Pack Band will launch on the Y-Films YouTube
channel on Tuesday, 28 June.
Says Ashish Patil,
Y-Films, Brand Partnerships & Talent Management: “From an idea that started
at a traffic signal to it now picking up what is considered the ultimate
benchmark for judging creativity - we at Y-Films are honored & humbled to
bring home India's 1st Cannes Grand Prix Glass Lion. We are also
thrilled to have partners like Brooke Bond Red Label & Mindshare who gave
this ballsy idea wings. Bajao taali!”
Said Madeline Di
Nonno, Head of the Glass Lions jury and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on
Gender in Media, “The approach was incredibly inventive, in actually creating a
band and using music and some very popular experiential pop-culture
entertainment, which was very significant. And then, backing it up with some
incredible videos, which really engage consumer and speak to our humanity. It
hit all the check marks that we could possibly want.”
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