A Golden Lion awarded on the stage of the Cannes Festival of Creativity in the hands of Madison Tevlin, the young actress with Down syndrome and protagonist of the film “Assume That I Can”, welcomed by a standing ovation from the entire Palais. CoorDown’s international campaign created in collaboration with New York-based creative agency Small and Indiana Production received 7 Lions, including one gold, four silver and two bronze. An extraordinary recognition for the creative idea, the implementation and the social virality of the campaign which, on the occasion of World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March 2024, achieved numbers never achieved before: almost 150 million views on TikTok, Instagram , X, Linkedin, Youtube and Facebook. A campaign that actively involved thousands and thousands of people around the world, going beyond the boundaries of the community of people with disabilities. Children, young people and adults told their experiences through videos, the stereotypes that they had and were able to overcome in their daily lives, touching on every diversity and involving anyone who felt undervalued and limited by the low expectations imposed on them by society.
Photo CoorDown/SIR
“No award received over the years is worth the standing ovation last night at the awarding of the Golden Lion – says Martina Fuga, president of CoorDown -. An incredible emotion to see the creativity and advertising industry gathered in Cannes, paying homage to our campaign and in particular Madison Tevlin and her performance in ‘Assume That I Can’. It was important to have Madison on stage together with the creatives and the production company to remember the importance of self-representation, but also the value and impact of communication in people’s lives and how a cultural change can concretely be achieved through communication campaigns courageous and effective.”
So far at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity CoorDown had collected a total of 23 lions, of which 9 were gold. The 7 Lions of 2024, 10 years after the Golden Lions won for the Dear Future Mom Campaign, pay tribute to the commitment and innovative path undertaken by CoorDown together with the creatives of Small New York over 12 years ago and which has led to revolutionizing the language of social communication, to transforming the story and representation of people with Down syndrome and, more generally, of intellectual disabilities.
