JUST DO IT: CASTER SEMENYA

Silver Eurobest
TitleJUST DO IT: CASTER SEMENYA
BrandNIKE SOUTH AFRICA
Product/ServiceNIKE SOUTH AFRICA
Category A04. Consumer Durables
Entrant WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Production PARK PICTURES London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 2 TRIM EDITING London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 3 WAVE STUDIOS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 4 GLASSWORKS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production 5 BEATWORMS Los Angeles, USA
Credits
Name Company Position
Eric Quennoy, Mark Bernath Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Executive Creative Directors
Evgeny Primachenko, Hannah Smit, Craig Williams Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Directors
Teresa Montenegro Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Art Director
Christopher Cryer Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Copywriter
Joe Togneri Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Head of Production
Michael MacMillan Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Executive Producer Broadcast
Magda Czyz Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Broadcast Producer
Maud Klarenbeek Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Executive Producer Art
Kate Barrett, Stacey Prudden Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Art Producers
Stephane Missier Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Planning Director
Hillary Heath Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Communications Planner Director
Kathryn Addo Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Group Account Director
Amber Martin Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Director
Cassandre Beck, Molly Rugg Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Managers
Joe Burrin Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Head of Design
Lizzie Murray Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Studio Director
Gustav von Platen Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Designer
Noa Redero Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Studio Artist
Loes Poot Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Project Manager
Fiona Fan Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Business Affairs
AG Rojas Park Pictures Director
Rina Yang Park Pictures Director of Photography
Nick Goldsmith Park Pictures Producer
Stephen Brierley Park Pictures Executive Producer

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The film centres on Caster Semenya. An Olympic runner who, despite being cleared to compete in female athletics in 2010, is constantly questioned about her gender because of hyperandrogenism. A condition that causes above-average levels of testosterone, giving her an appearance that differs from that of other female athletes. The film starts with Caster winning a race in the present day. As she’s about to cross the finish line, time slows and we hear her voice start to question her detractors we begin to go back through time. We go back through moments of Caster’s life, reversing her successes and nullifying her hard work as she continues to question them - is this what they’d prefer? Finally, we go all the way back to her birth, because this is where she defiantly tells the skeptics: “Too bad. I was born to do this”.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

At a time when the global narrative around female equality is so prominent and important, one of Nike’s most successful female athletes continues to be targeted and victimised for being different. Caster Semenya, who has hyperandrogenism (a condition where her body naturally produces more testosterone than most women), was first accused of having an unfair advantage in competition in 2008. Her gender was publicly scrutinized, she was tested and subsequently cleared to compete in female competition. This year, the international athletics body, the IAAF, announced new rules that bans female athletes like Caster. This film was made to build and show support for Caster as she prepared to run her last races, while fighting to overturn the ruling.