Gala awards night packed with VIP guests, influencers and celebrities marks the culmination of the impactful India Global Forum UAE 2022

The first-ever UAE-India Awards, presented by UK-headquartered India Global Forum (IGF), mark the culmination of the week-long IGF UAE 2022 – a power-packed series themed around Partners for Global Impact.

The UAE-India Awards at the stunning Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai, on 15 December 2022 brought together a star-studded cast of VIP guests, celebrities and influential figures from the world of business, politics, and the arts for a premier black-tie evening celebrating the dynamic partnership between the UAE and India. It marks a celebration of the organisations and individuals working tirelessly to strengthen and energise the UAE-India partnership.

H.E. Mariam Almheiri – UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment – lauded the India Global Forum for creating a high-powered platform to celebrate UAE-India ties. She said: “The UAE and India enjoy long-standing and cordial relations across multiple fronts and this Forum is making its mark in pushing our bilateral relations to a new level. “The UAE is committed to working with India in confronting international challenges across multiple sectors to achieve a balanced and sustainable global economic growth.”

Celebrated British comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner set the tone for the glittering ceremony as the host of the evening, which included a special performance by popular singer-songwriter Sonna Rele.

Professor Manoj Ladwa, IGF Founder & CEO, said: “The first-ever UAE-India Awards celebrate the special relationship between the two countries and the high achievers adding to the momentum behind our strengthening ties.

“As the theme of IGF UAE reflects, the UAE and India are ideally suited ‘Partners for Global Impact’ and the awards are here to spotlight those working towards making that partnership truly impactful.”

The UAE-India Awards 2022 Nominees & Categories are:

Investment of the Year
Adani, Emmar, Lulu
New Market Entrant of the Year
Allen Overseas, EaseMyTrip, Lenskart, Verse
Legal Practice of the Year
Ashish Mehta & Associates, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Keystone Law, Trilegal
Banking Organisation of the Year
Axis Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC
Business Promotion Organisation of the Year
Dubai Chambers, FICCI, IBPC
Technology Company of the Year
Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra
Investor in Climate Action Award
EVage, Hero, Ola
Social Impact Project of the Year
Aster, Faizal & Shabana Foundation

The winners have been chosen by an eminent UAE-India Awards 2022 Jury:

H.E. Ambassador Dr Ahmed Al Banna, Former Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to India
Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Zerodha & True Beacon
Zubin Jal Karkaria, Founder & CEO, VFS Global
Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Emirates NBD
Sunil Kaushal, Regional CEO, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank

The awards gala brings the second UAE edition of India Global Forum to a close at the end of a high-power week of keynote addresses, fireside chats, roundtables and studio conversations, with senior ministers, business leaders, lawmakers and influential thought leaders covering diverse subjects from climate change to geopolitics, fintech innovations to greentech challenges.

Some of the high-profile speakers over the course of the week included:

Hon. Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India
Hon. Bhupendra Yadav, Minister of Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India
Hon. Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to UAE, Government of India
H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, UAE
H.E. Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Government of UAE
Dr Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT, Government of India
Michael Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards announced the addition of Pete Stevenson, Executive Director of The Edge Picture Company to the 2023 TV & Film Advisory Board.

"We are thrilled to welcome Pete Stevenson to the TV & Film Awards Advisory Board. As an award-winning director he brings his wide-ranging creative expertise to the 16-member panel of storytellers and industry executives," said Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. "The insights and guidance from this international brain trust ensures that NYF's TV & Film Awards will continue to honor innovation from storytellers around the globe."

"The New York Festivals is a powerhouse of celebrating creativity, and I'm honored to join the advisory board. It will be my privilege to represent the strength of our sector in the UK and I look forward to getting involved and to championing excellence." -Pete Stevenson, Executive Director, The Edge Picture Company

Pete has been a Director of The Edge Picture Company for over 25 years and is responsible for managing client relationships and delivering creative solutions for organisations and brands across the world. He brings extensive experience and passion to every project, always looking for ways to use the power of film to grab attention and change perceptions. Pete speaks regularly to client leadership groups large and small and runs sessions on the Psychology of Film and its role in Behaviour Change.

He has been closely involved over many years as a Taskforce member with Government-sponsored Engage for Success, an organisation focusing on inspiring and fostering better engagement across the UK. Pete's work has garnered hundreds of international awards over the years, including the prestigious Grand Prix at the EVCOM London Film Awards.

In 2021 The Edge Picture Company was chosen by the New York Film & TV Festivals as their Production Company of the Year for a record 15 years in succession.

The deadline to enter the 2023 Television & Film Awards competition is December 31st, 2022. To view entry details and competition rules and regulations visit HERE. For a complete list of 2023 categories, visit HERE.

All Entries in the 2023 competition will be judged online and screened by NYF's TV & Film Awards award-winning Grand Jury panel.

Award-winning entries will be celebrated at the NYF Storytellers Gala taking place on April 18th at the 2023 NAB Show Centennial in Las Vegas. This is the 13th year of New York Festivals strategic partnership with NAB.

To view the 2022 TV & Film Awards winner's showcase visit: winners.

The National Press Club has partnered with the New York Festivals 2023 Radio Awards to create an exclusive new award, The National Press Club Award.

The National Press Club Award will go to the highest scoring news program across the Best Coverage Of Breaking News Story, Best Coverage Of Ongoing News Story, Best Nonfiction Series and News Podcast categories. The inaugural winner will be announced during the New York Festivals 2023 Storytellers Gala on April 18th.

The National Press Club is the World's Leading Professional Organization for Journalists(tm). It serves its members through professional development activities that bolster their skills, through services that meet the changing needs of the global communications profession and through social activities that build a vital media community in Washington and around the world. The Club is where news happens in the nation's capital and is a vigorous advocate of press freedom worldwide.

"We are grateful to New York Festivals for recognizing the great work being done in journalism today and so honored to now have an NYF storytelling award named after The National Press Club."-Jen Judson, President, National Press Club.

"Journalists today are finding new ways to keep listeners informed in our ever-changing and interconnected world. With the National Press Club Award, the Radio Awards shines a spotlight on the audio journalists and reporters who are committed to using their talents to tell the stories that matter."-Rose Anderson, VP, Executive Director, New York Festivals Radio Awards

The New York Festivals Radio Awards 65-year legacy provides a showcase to celebrate world-class storytellers from around the globe. Since 1957 the competition has celebrated innovation and excellence in broadcast audio content across all genres and platforms keeping pace with industry developments and global trends. All entries within the competition are judged by international panels of award-winning creative professionals who are respected creative professionals within the broadcast industry.

The entry deadline for the 2023 Radio Awards competition is January 31, 2023. To enter please visit: HERE, for additional information visit: Rules and Regulations and 2023 Radio Awards Categories.

All 2023 award winners will be celebrated at the NYF Storytellers Gala taking place on April 18th at the 2023 NAB Show Centennial in Las Vegas. This is the 13th year of New York Festivals strategic partnership with NAB.

Digital media will dominate consumer choice

YouGov’s Global Media Whitepaper 2022 across 18 international markets aims to understand how media behaviour has changed during the last 12 months and what the future media landscape might look like in the year ahead.

When comparing global future media behaviour to the previous 12 months, YouGov research shows that media penetrations remain high and stable across various types of media. Digital media continues to dominate consumer choice, with websites or apps registering the highest penetration.

Looking at the data for UAE, we see more than half of consumers report having visited websites/apps or interacted with social media (56% and 55% respectively) in the last 12 months and at least two in five (48% and 45%) intend to continue these activities in the next 12 months.

In addition, nearly half have streamed video (46%) but fewer watched live TV (39%) in the previous 12 months, and similar proportions (42% and 36%) are likely to do each of these activities in the coming 12 months.

Watching movies in a theatre was the least consumed form of media in the past twelve months, and consumption is likely to remain the same in the future.

Exploring consumption of different media channels by age, annual penetration of websites/apps and engagement with social media are the highest among adults between 25-34 years and lowest among 55+ adults. In general, consumers in the age group of 25-34 years are likely to have higher engagement with all forms of media- digital, traditional as well as outdoor in-person activities.

If we look at the ‘net growth scores’ for each media activity (calculated by subtracting less consumption from more consumption percentages) in the last 12 months, we see polarization between digital media activities and outdoor in-person activities.

At the top end of the scale, websites and apps registered the highest ‘net growth’ score in the last 12 months (+42%), followed by social media (+41%). On the other hand, outdoor in-person activities such as watching a movie in a theatre registered a negative ‘net growth score’ of -6%.

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, growth in consumption for certain digital media types (such as websites, social media, and streaming video) appears to be slowing, but for traditional media like watching TV and reading a newspaper/ magazine, it is either the same or growing a bit.

On the other hand, in-person media activities are likely to pick up in the future. Attending live in-person events shifts from a +4% ‘net growth’ score in the last 12 months, to a +9% in the next 12 months. An uptick is expected among those planning to increase their number of outings at a theatre (rather than decrease), with a +2% 'net growth' score in the next 12 months (compared to -6% in the previous 12 months).

As media behaviour continues to evolve, it is key for marketers and advertisers to understand which media consumption habits are most likely to stick, and which are set to grow among current consumers.

The FIFA World Cup, being among the most-followed sporting events across the globe, is naturally a huge opportunity for brands and sponsors to reach out to a vast audience. We dipped into YouGov BrandIndex data to examine how Team England and Team USA sponsors were performing in the lead up to the World Cup.

Globally, we took a look at the degree to which official FIFA World Cup sponsors like Coca-Cola, VISA, Adidas, Hyundai, and Kia were making an Impression on fans of the event. Effective sports sponsorship must take into account the media channels that fans are using to consume the event as well as their preferred mediums of advertising, which are topics our dedicated World Cup coverage has touched upon.

It is interesting to note that Premier League fans are such loyalists that a majority of them felt it was wrong to pause the event to accommodate the World Cup. Even so, gamblers, at least in Britain, were pumped up for the event, with half of them saying they would bet on it. In another piece of analysis examining Britain’s football gamblers, we found that they were hearing more about this World Cup in the lead up to it than they did for the previous edition.

Gamers were also abuzz for the World Cup, and this translated into an increased interest in playing EA Sports’ FIFA title in US, Germany and South Korea.

Outside the football World Cup, other major global events in 2022 included the T20 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Through YouGov SportsIndex, we found that the Commonwealth Games whipped up a good degree of attention in several participating markets, with Australia leading the way. The T20 World Cup’s sponsors, particularly Booking.com, reaped noticeable dividends from their partnerships with the event in the form of much improved Buzz scores among fans of the event compared to non-fans.

Speaking of sports sponsorship more generally, auto-makers (36%) are deemed the most appropriate sponsors of professional sports teams and leagues, closely followed by tech (34%) and telco brands (34%). Only 12% of consumers felt gambling brands made for appropriate sports sponsors in spite of the well-established links between the gambling and sports industry.

In the world of American sport, we took a look at the global popularity of NBA 2021-22 season winners Golden State Warriors, and found that they enjoy a markedly younger fan base than fans of the five most popular NBA teams. We also cast a look at the most popular NBA players in the US and Britain.

As much a global icon as an American one, Serena Williams’ exit from the tennis world prompted us to look at her global popularity as well as the opinions of her fans on the key issues of inclusion and feminism – causes that she promoted through her career.

Historical BrandIndex data allowed us to look at the brands that gained the biggest upticks in Ad Awareness through advertisements during the Super Bowl over the last five years.

The NFL has made significant strides in promoting itself across the globe, and we took stock of the global popularity of the NFL to find out how those efforts are paying off. Locally, in the US, the NFL is perceived as producing a high standard, beating out other sports properties in the YouGov SportsIndex Quality metric.

The NFL has also made a concerted effort over recent years to highlight its green credentials. About two-fifths of NFL fans feel it is acceptable for brands to communicate their stance on environmental issues, and fans of the two LA teams (Chargers and Rams) are the most likely to describe themselves as environmentalists compared to other teams.

In Britain, a third of sports fans described themselves as environmentalists overall, but there were variances in the share of different sporting fan bases who said so. Nearly half of cycling fans (46%) described themselves as environmentalists compared to only a third of football fans.

Traditionally, films premier at the cinema. For cinema-lovers, the big screen, smell of popcorn and larger audience all contribute to the overall experience. Yet there are drawbacks. Many consumers prefer the flexibility of home-viewing and half of all consumers worldwide say that going to the cinema is too costly. Generally, viewers who eschew the cinema have had to wait longer for home-release. Is this fair? Nearly half of consumers in 18 markets surveyed believe that it is.

Recent data from YouGov shows that 44% of consumers worldwide believe that major movies should always be released in cinema before they’re available to watch at home while only 18% disagree with this statement. About a third of respondents (31%) are undecided. Men (47%) are more likely than women to favour cinema-first release, compared to women (42%).

There is also significant variation in how people approach movies across markets. Consumers in Asia are more likely to favour cinema-first release, with the UAE (57%), India (56%) and Indonesia (53%) topping the list. Mexico is also well-above average at 52% agreement. This is unsurprising as previous YouGov research has shown that consumers in these markets are more likely to favour watching movies in cinema.

Of all the markets surveyed, the US is by far the least likely to agree that movies should be released in cinemas first, with only 30% of consumers saying so. Poland (35%), Germany (36%) and Canada (38%) are the other countries least likely to agree with the statement. While a significant proportion of global consumers favour traditional cinema-first release, an even greater proportion are at least open to other schedules.

In the 2022 Epica Awards there were Grand Prix winners from Germany, Norway, India, the United States, Canada and Brazil.

The Grand Prix debate took place this year at The Groucho Club in London, in partnership with production company Papaya Films.

The President of the jury was David Griner, former international editor of Adweek and co-founder of the non-profit Creative Ladder, which aims to bring more diversity to the industry.

GRAND PRIX

• RESPONSIBILITY: “Anti Look – the life-saving QR design”, Scholz & Friends (Germany), Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe

• PR: “The Name Catalogue,” TRY (Norway), IKEA

• PR: “The Missing Chapter”, Leo Burnett (India), Procter & Gamble

• INNOVATION: “Touch Card”, McCann New York (US), Mastercard

• DIGITAL: “Ketchup A.I”, Rethink (Canada), Kraft Heinz

• MEDIA: “The Pirate Match”, Mirum Agency (Brazil), DirectvGo

• FILM: “The Spider and the Window”, Leo Burnett (Germany), Samsung Electronics

• NETWORK OF THE YEAR: McCann Worldgroup

• AGENCY OF THE YEAR: Rethink, Canada

The Norwegian agency TRY also performed exceptionally this year, making it the runner-up for Agency of the Year, followed by Germany’s Scholz & Friends.

SUMMARY

There were two PR Grand Prix this year. They went to “The Missing Chapter”, from Leo Burnett India and P&G, which educates young girls about menstruation in a country where the subject is often taboo; and “The Name Catalogue”, from TRY and IKEA, which inspires parents in search of baby names with the help of names from the brand’s furniture back-catalogue.

In a joint statement, Leo Burnett India commented: “Thank you for this honour. We will continue to fight for the future of millions of India’s girls.”

Egil Pay, Executive Creative Director at TRY, said: “We are truly honored to accept this Grand Prix with our amazing client, IKEA. To be awarded a Grand Prix by a jury of worldwide journalists is the best Christmas present we could have wished for.”

On the other hand, the jury chose not to award Grand Prix in Print or Design this year. While all the Gold winners had their merits, after some debate the jurors felt that there was not a specific campaign that rose above the others.

The new Innovation Grand Prix went to McCann New York for the remarkable “Touch Card”. In collaboration with Mastercard, the initiative enables the blind and partially sighted to distinguish between different payment cards thanks to a series of notches in the plastic.

Alex Lopez, Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann Worldgroup, said: “This recognition from the journalists who cover our business every day reflects the contributions of our teams and agencies from across our global network, and results from the trust our clients invest in us to help them build their brands and businesses. Our goal is to be the be the leader in the business of creativity, not for the purpose of winning awards, but to help our clients earn a meaningful role in people’s lives. I want to congratulate our team in New York, and our Mastercard client, on earning this very special Innovation award.”

The Media Grand Prix – also a new addition, to recognize creative use of media – was won by Mirum Agency (Brazil) for DirectvGo and “The Pirate Match”. The operation steered online viewers trying to illegally stream major soccer matches to fake, clumsy (and very funny) pirate matches, encouraging them to pay for the genuine article.

The Digital Grand Prix went to Rethink (Canada) for “Ketchup A.I.”, the latest in a series of smart campaigns for Kraft Heinz. This time around, the agency discovered that asking an artificial intelligence to draw a ketchup bottle invariably results in one that looks like the iconic Heinz bottle. (The jury tested the theory live during the meeting, with the same result.)

Zachary Bautista, Creative Director, Art Director, and Geoff Baillie, Associate Creative Director, Writer, at Rethink commented: “Heinz has been an icon for over 150 years and to ensure they remain relevant into the future, we’re always looking to move at the pace of culture. There's a lot of buzz around artificial intelligence and for Heinz A.I. Ketchup, we saw an opportunity to join the conversation – proving that just like people, when AI thinks of ketchup it thinks of Heinz. It was great to use this new tool to push a big creative idea forward and it's an honour to have those efforts be recognized by the Epica Awards and the worldwide press.”

The Responsibility Grand Prix – celebrating work for good causes – went to “Anti Look, the life-saving QR design” from Scholz & Friends (Germany) for first responders Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe. When people pause at the site of an accident to take pictures with their phone, a QR design on emergency vehicles and uniforms activates a message warning the gawkers that they are cluttering the area and may prevent rescuers from saving a life. The Responsibility Grand Prix is sponsored by ACT Responsible.

Ramona Junggeburth and Christoph Schlossnikel, Creative Directors at Scholz & Friends, said: “We are overwhelmed by the Grand Prix! When we realized the project, we expected practically no public reaction. We can tell you: as creatives, working in advertising, it’s unusual to get so much positive feedback. And, even more importantly, by so many rescue forces, that feel supported in their everyday work. So finally it’s not just work from advertisers for advertisers but has a real-life impact, which is really nice.”

Finally, the Film Grand Prix was won by Leo Burnett (Germany) and its client Samsung Electronics for “The Spider and the Window”. The amusing and heartwarming film uses convincing special effects to tell the story of a large spider who falls in love with a Samsung phone due to the device’s distinctive camera lenses, which resemble the spider’s eyes.

Summing up the competition, Wojciech Skiba, Executive Producer at sponsor Papaya Films, said: “If you are passionate about craft and creativity, you really want to be a part of the Epica Awards. It’s a truly egalitarian space for inspiration, where diversity can thrive. At Papaya we were excited to support the journalists in this process that not only champions the best creative work but also creates a platform to drive change together.”

Entrants & Entries by Country

This year the Epica Awards received 3099 entries, a slight drop on last year explained by the absence of Russian agencies, which were banned from entering. The highest number of entries came from North America (400) followed by Ukraine (396), Germany (276), and France (158). There was an increase in entries from Asia, notably Thailand, China and India. In terms of networks, McCann, Publicis and Accenture were particularly well represented, but independent entrants are ever more in the majority, making up over 55% of total entries this season.

Results by Country

Germany was top in the country rankings with 61 awarded projects including 2 Grand Prix and 10 Golds, followed by Canada with 45 awarded projects including one Grand Prix and 5 Golds. Completing the top five were the US with 19 prizes, the UK and Norway.

Havas Middle East and Saatchi & Saatchi Score Spots on the AME Agency Report

New York Festivals AME Awards released the 2022 AME Report, a two-tiered ranking report recognizing of some of the world's most successful agencies and brands according to their achievements in the 2022 AME Awards.

The AME Agency Report honors agencies who have produced cutting-edge and measurably effective creative work on behalf of prominent advertisers. The AME Brand Report recognizes risk-taking brands who approved game-changing work that contributed to the brands position on the AME ranking report.

For 2022, the UAE Government Media Office led both the AME Agency and Brand Report with an unprecedented dual honor, achieving the top rank on both the Agency and Brand Report. This is the first time in the history of the AME Report that an agency/brand earned the number one spot on both reports.

Innovative and results-driven campaigns submitted by the UAE Government Media Office "The Warm Winter Livestream," "The Donation Plate," and "A Winter Through My Eyes" earned the Media Office the highest number of total points in this year's competition.

"At the UAE Government Media Office, we go much further than brief agencies and assess the performance of our campaigns. We are actively involved in the full process from ideation to execution, so much so that we're acting as an agency as much as a client. While we work closely with our agency partners, we also have a strong creative resource in-house, collaborating together to build on insights and creative sparks to turn them into award-winning and goal-achieving work. I couldn't be prouder of my team as we are recognized as the Agency of the Year at the New York Festivals AME Awards in 2022."- Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, UAE Government Media Office

"We're thrilled for the UAE Government Media Office, their top tier creative and effective campaigns catapulted them to the top of the annual AME Awards Report," said Gayle Seminara Mandel, Executive Director, New York Festivals AME Awards.

"I understand it's a rare occurrence for a client to achieve this and even rarer, as in never happened before, for the same company to be the Brand and Agency of the Year at the same time. The lines of demarcation are clearly changing, and structures are reshaping in front of our eyes. Brave and effective is certainly a description that we share with the AME Awards and this trophy is the perfect illustration of our forward-thinking method of working," said Khaled AlShehhi.

Top-scoring campaigns for 2022 improved brand awareness, engaged consumers and succeeded in driving results for global brands. Global agencies earning a place on the AME Agency Report employed first-of-its-kind technology, crowdsourcing, omnichannel marketing, media led engagement, OOH activations, branded entertainment, experiential marketing, gamification, influencer-led campaigns, guerilla marketing, and donation driven-initiatives to improve brand relevance, create contextual engagement, achieve growth, and deliver stunning bottom-line results.

High-scoring work from agencies within MENA earned a place on the 2022 AME Report.  Havas Middle East earned 5th place on the AME report for their multi-gold winning campaign Liquid Billboard" invited women to become the heroes of adidas new inclusive line. "Empty Plates" created by Saatchi & Saatchi MEA for the UAE Government Media Office amplified awareness around world hunger and was honored with an impressive number of awards landing the agency in the 8th slot globally on the ranking report.

2022 AME Agency Report

  1.  UAE Government Media Office

  2.  Zulu Alpha Kilo

  3.  Seven.One AdFactory / Creative House / White Rabbit Budapest / WallDecaux**

  4.  AMVBBDO United Kingdom

  5.  Havas Middle East

  6.  ALMA DDB

  7.  Energy BBDO

  8.  Saatchi & Saatchi MEA

  9.  Special New Zealand

  10. Leo Burnett Group Manila

**Multiple agencies working together

To view the AME Report, visit HERE.

The 2022 AME Brand Report honors risk-taking global brands for their innovative and strategic campaigns that delivered measurable results. Brands approved game-changing strategies, utilized first-of-its-kind technology, shined a spotlight on diversity and inclusion, partnered with influencers, rallied on behalf of those less fortunate, embraced social marketing, created unique partnerships, went head to head with environmental challenges, and created new ways to support communities.

Inventive campaigns demonstrating results submitted by Havas Middle East, MullenLowe MENA, and Saatchi & Saatchi MEA contributed to the UAE Government Media Office meteoric rise to the top of the AME Brand Report.

"The New York Festivals AME Awards have always held a special place for us as they reward brave and effective work, two aspects that dominate in our approach for they are major success factors. Winning a single award is a celebration in itself but being named Brand of the Year is simply spectacular. Whether it be our short history as a brand, our home market, or the fact that we are a public sector entity, this accolade is a deeply meaningful validation of all our efforts to date to stand out and be counted. Our work and missions are varied and complex, but each gives us an opportunity to raise the bar and make a difference to many. To be judged against stringent international standards and receive this level of recognition is not only a dream come true but also an amazing motivation to do even more and better, with the knowledge we're aiming in the right direction," said Khaled AlShehhi.

Havas Middle East's impressive work for adidas saw the brand soar to the number 3 spot on the global brand report.

2022 AME Brand Report

  1.  UAE Government Media Office

  2.  Flutwein

  3.  adidas

  4.  Extra

  5.  Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand/Pepsi/Sheba*

  6.  McDonalds / Black Business and Professional Association, Toronto Metropolitan University's Diversity Institute, Canadian Congress on Inclusive Diversity and Workplace Equity, and Pride at Work*

  7.  Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation

  8.  Harry Rosen

  9.  Pfaff Harley-Davidson(r)

  10. Fenty Beauty

*Tie in brand rank

All 2022 AME award-winning entries were determined by the AME Grand Jury. The results of these jury panels determine an entry's score and its placement within the AME annual rankings brief.

To view the entire 2022 AME Report (Agency & Brand) visit: HERE. To view 2022 AME Awards winner's showcase, visit: HERE.

Entertainment entrepreneur of Indian origin Gina Golani Shetty of Stellar Entertainment Co. who has been instrumental in hosting the Indian film community at the festival since its inception has onboarded Kajol, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, A.R. Rahman, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan to be an intrinsic part of this year’s star-studded line-up.

Gina Shetty shares, “Bollywood is such an integral part of the world cinema market and I’m truly delighted that doors which were once closed have now opened for Bollywood in the region courtesy the Red Sea International Film Festival. In the augural year we faced a lot of challenges and cynicism but it’s amazing to see the power packed participation this year from Bollywood.”

Kajol will grace the opening night of the festival for the public screening of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge alongwith Shahrukh Khan who will be felicitated with an Honorary Award . Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor will also attend the opening night. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan will be attending the Women In Cinema Gala Dinner that champions inclusivity and highlights the role of women in cinema. Akshay Kumar will chair ‘In Conversation’ event moderated by Kaleem Aftab where he will share his success story. Ranbir Kapoor will be felicitated with the International Vanguard Actor Award as well as be a part of an ‘In-Conversation’ event moderated by Martin Dale. Hrithik Roshan will be participating in an ‘In Conversation’ event moderated by Raya Abirached and attend the closing award ceremony. AR Rahman will be marking his debut performance in Jeddah at the festival. Other Indian names on the line-up include Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Kapur and Gurinder Chadha

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan state, “It's truly an honor to champion an initiative that supports women parity. We will not just be celebrating world cinema but also women stakeholders of the industry who make cinema a more diverse, fulfilling and rich experience. We are grateful to Gina Golani Shetty and Red Sea International Film Festival for giving us this wonderful opportunity to propel the cause of inclusivity.”

Kajol states, “DDLJ is a cult film that has been instrumental in spreading positivity, happiness and love across the world for over 27 years. I’m honoured to be an intrinsic part of the gala opening event to represent a film that is one of the most loved films in the history of world cinema. It will be a memorable evening as I will be joined with my co-star Shahrukh Khan. It is such a proud moment for all Indian cinema buffs that DDLJ will be a part of the inaugural night of the revered Red Sea International Film Festival. Grateful to Stellar Entertainment for making this happen.”

Akshay Kumar states, “This is my second year at the Red Sea International Film Festival all thanks to the consistent efforts by Stellar Entertainment. The debut year was quite intimate and it's really heart-warming to see how the festival has grown multifold in a span of a year. I'm happy and grateful to be back again to spread a good word about Indian cinema on the world stage.”

Ranbir Kapoor states, “I am extremely honoured to be invited to attend the Red Sea International Film Festival, I look forward to being around and meeting so many stalwarts of cinema from around the world in Jeddah.”

Hrithik Roshan states, “I'm honoured to be invited by Stellar Entertainment to represent the Indian film industry at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022. Looking forward to being a part of the closing ceremony and addressing a live audience in Jeddah, on the 8th of December. It's a wonderful time for the global film community to be coming together to celebrate and strengthen cross-cultural entertainment collaborations.”

A.R. Rahman states, “I'm extremely pleased to be performing at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudi Arabia. I'm looking forward to being a part of one of the most prestigious celebrations in the region. See you soon!”

Aside of Indian talent, the sophomore edition of the Red Sea Film Festival will also witness presence of international talent such as Jemima Khan, Sajal Ali, Naughty Boy, Guy Ritchie, Sharon Stone, Oliver Stone, Bruno Mars, Jeff Mirza, Luca Guadagnino, Park Hae Soo, Andy Garcia, Henry Golding, Giuseppe Tornatore, Scott Eastwood, Luna Maya, Bella Ranee Campen, Nattawin, Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, Wichapas Sumettikul, Michelle Rodriguez, Lucy Hale, Freida Pinto, Alessandra Ambrosio, Sara Sampaio, Rossy de Palma, Marina Ruy Barbosa, Nolan Funk, Michele Morrone, Melanie Laurent, Maria Pedraza, Alex Gonzalez, Alejandra Onieva, Hiba Abouk.

The Red Sea International Film Festival is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions set up after the country in late 2017 removed its religion-related ban on cinemas. Unfolding against the backdrop of the Red Sea port of Jeddah, the festival will present 131 feature films and shorts from 61 countries in 41 languages this year from 1st December – 10th December 2022.

Winners to be announced during an online show on December 8

The Epica Awards are delighted to announce the preselected entries for the 2022 competition. Reaching the shortlist is a fantastic achievement, so we would like to congratulate everyone who appears on it.

Over the past few days, a unique jury of editors and senior reporters has watched and analyzed over 3000 pieces of work. We would like to thank all the agencies, production companies and clients who took part. Every entry has been carefully appraised by the jurors, delivering valuable media exposure to all the entrants.

The full list can be found Here

These finalists will go through to the grand jury, which votes online from November 23 to December 2. Gold and Grand Prix winners will be screened during a special online ceremony on December 8.

Silver and Bronze winners will be published on the Epica Awards website the next day, December 9.

Since 1987, the Epica Awards jury has been exclusively composed of editors and senior reporters from the world’s leading titles covering creativity and communications. They are supported by journalists from specialist fields such as post-production, VR, design, finance and luxury. A full list of jury members can be seen at www.epica-awards.com

This year the Epica Awards received 3099 entries, a slight drop on last year explained by the absence of Russian agencies, which were banned from entering. The highest number of entries came from North America (400) followed by Ukraine (396), Germany (276), and France (158). There was an increase in entries from Asia, notably Thailand, China and India. In terms of networks, McCann, Publicis and Accenture were particularly well represented, but independent entrants are ever more in the majority, making up over 55% of total entries this season.