MERCEDES BENZ - "IN THE LONG RUN"

Short List
TitleMERCEDES BENZ - "IN THE LONG RUN"
BrandMERCEDES BENZ
Product/ServiceMERCEDES BENZ GLE
Category A03. Casting
Entrant ICONOCLAST Berlin, GERMANY
Idea Creation ANTONI Berlin, GERMANY
Production ICONOCLAST Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Niclas Larsson Iconoclast Germany Director
Linus Sandgren Iconoclast Germany Director Of Photography
Jan Dressler Iconoclast Germany Executive Producer
Björn Krüger Iconoclast Germany Producer
Nils Schwemer Iconoclast Germany Managing Director
Nicolas Lhermitte Iconoclast Germany Managing Director
André Kemper antoni_garage Chief Creative Officer
Matthias Schmidt antoni_garage Managing Director
Veit Moeller antoni_garage Executive Creative Director
Christian Kies antoni_garage Creative Director
Christopher Hoene antoni_garage Creative Director
Patrick Klebba antoni_garage Creative Director

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The story is about a young woman and mother that pursues a lifelong dream despite physical limitations: participating in a triathlon. With the support of her family she not only overcomes physical but also emotional boundaries and masters the competition. But no matter how successful she is – an event from the past accompanies her in all the time: through a climbing accident with her daughter she has to wear a prosthetic leg.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

On the official day for people with disabilities, we launched a nearly five-minute long movie that touched the world: "In The Long Run." The story was captured by up-and-coming young director Niclas Larsson and Oscar winner Linus Sandgren ("La La Land") as cameraman. The film was produced as a long format and unfolds its greatest power as an unconventional content-piece online: 4:47 minutes which give viewers in depth insight to the complex characters and their stories. For Mercedes-Benz, "In The Long Run" is the start of a new SUV communication strategy which runs under the umbrella idea "All Kinds of Strength". Great human stories are linked with model-specific positionings.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

For the cast of the main role began an intensive casting process for a woman with prosthetic leg, which not only all sports play authentic, but also convincingly transport the role of the loving mother of a multicultural family. The decision fell on a special actress: she had neither experience in professional sports, nor had she ever acted before, but her charisma and authenticity outshined everything. It began a meticulous preparation process in which she learned all the sports from scratch to the new (racing cycling, swimming, running) and in acting lessons got the arts and crafts. Piece by piece, she was prepared for the shoot. In the end, she was able to convey her role convincingly: the conflict with the daughter, her mixed feelings, the struggle with herself and her environment but also intense training and competitive scenes.