BORN THIS WAY

Short List
TitleBORN THIS WAY
BrandLUX
Product / ServiceLUX
CategoryA01. Consumer Goods
EntrantWUNDERMAN THOMPSON Singapore, SINGAPORE
Idea Creation WUNDERMAN THOMPSON Singapore, SINGAPORE
Media Placement PHD MEDIA Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
PR THE HARDY BOYS Durban, SOUTH AFRICA
PR 2 EDELMAN SA Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA
PR 3 JESSICA HARTLEY Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production FINAL FRONTIER Shanghai, CHINA
Production 2 LE CUBE Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Post Production WUNDERMAN THOMPSON Singapore, SINGAPORE
Additional Company UNILEVER Singapore, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Marco Versolato Wunderman Thompson Singapore CCO
Hinoti Joshi Wunderman Thompson Singapore Account Management
Gerri Hamill Wunderman Thompson Singapore - Chameleon Production
Deeksha Siwach Wunderman Thompson Singapore Account Management
AiLin Tan Wunderman Thompson Singapore Creative
Ricardo Tronquini Wunderman Thompson Singapore Creative
Sixin Wu Wunderman Thompson Singapore Creative
Len DeRosales Wunderman Thompson Singapore Account Management
Fanny LeMasson Wunderman Thompson Singapore Account Management
Lucile Belleville Wunderman Thompson Singapore Planning
Josslyn Li Wunderman Thompson Singapore Planner
Team Chameleon Wunderman Thompson Singapore Production & Post Production
Gus Karam Final Frontier Production
Team Final Frontier Team Le Cube Final Frontier & Le Cube Animation and Production
Ralph Karam Final Frontier Director
Team DaHouse Audio GmbH DaHouse Audio GmbH Music
Lucas Mayer DaHouse Audio GmbH Music
Jessica Hartley Jessica Hartley PR
Team Facebook Creative Shop Facebook Creative Shop Singapore Facebook Amplification
Elliott Stares Jessica Hartley Global PR
Severine Vauleon Unilever Client
Ankush Wadehra Unilever Client
Vivien Ng Unilever Client
Angad Saxena Unilever Client

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Caster Semenya, Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion was born with hyperandrogenism and World Athletics has banned her from running in events between 400 m and one mile unless she takes hormone drugs. The film demonstrates the insight that most champion athletes are born with extraordinary biology. But unlike Caster, they are celebrated, not reviled or banned. The film questions why Caster should be banned and highlights her fight to run free, without drugs. It ends with a call to sign a petition to overturn the ban. The 2D frame-by-frame cel-animation was a deliberate approach to enhance the storytelling, creating a dream-like ambience which translates Caster's emotions into metaphors. The animation which features a swimmer, sprinter and swimmer inspired by iconic athletes, is packed with dynamic angles and fast fluid transitions to dramatise their extraordinary biology and how they are honoured in contrast to the pain of Caster being sidelined.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion Caster Semenya won gold in the 800 m in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Following protests on some fronts, World Athletics (then IAAF) subjected her to multiple tests and humiliating medical examinations. She passed them but they banned her anyway. She can't run in events between 800m and 1 mile unless she takes hormone drugs. She has appealed against this several times, but failed. Caster was born a woman and is legally recognised as a woman. In February 2020, she filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Right to overturn the World Athletics ban – the result is pending. In line with Unilever's Positive Beauty vision, Lux believes that no woman should be judged for how they look or be stripped of being a woman. We are championing Caster's fight for her right to run as a woman, free of drugs.