Grant De Sousa won the Broadcast Non-Europe category in 2007 with this stunning but heart-rendering PSA. We catch up the director five years on.
Please tell us what you’re doing now and where?
I’m currently directing for Blue Panther films in Cape Town.
What were the key moments from winning at the YDA to the present?
Since then I’ve shot another PSA called Conflict Free which won five out of eight awards as well as being shortlisted for the UNDPI award at the New York festivals. It continued to win awards recently as it won the”creative social advertising” category at the Humandoc film festival in Poland. I’ve continued to shoot commercials for clients such as Nissan, Axe and IEC and worked for advertising agencies such as TBWA, DDB, FCB.
Did winning the YDA help you in any way?
To be honest it was my first commercial I ever shot. It was a great honor and to tell you the truth I was blown away by the achievement. However in terms of bringing in work it didn’t happen as I perhaps anticipated, because agencies weren’t that willing to take a risk on a director who had a small body of work. I believe it takes many years of developing relationships and investing in one’s reel in order to obtain success.
Which piece of work are you the proudest of and why?
Conflict Free has to be my proudest piece of work. It not only won me the most awards but it had a huge impact on the general public and I had great feedback with it. There is nothing more rewarding than making a positive impact on people’s lives.
What would your dream job/script be?
I believe that as a director you have a certain skill and ability to create an imaginative world in which anything is possible. I hope to create messages that change a world that in my opinion very much needs less consumerism and more social awareness. So in an ideal world I wish it were possible to do work that reflected that full-time.
What is the most valuable advice you have been given about film making?
The best advice I was given and then had to learn for myself in order to believe it is that film-making is a collaborative process. One part cannot function without the other. A director may be the captain but he is no more important than anyone else. So I don’t believe he should be glamorised or treated any differently from the rest of his crew.
Who are the most inspirational directors for you?
Well as far as short form directors are concerned I have taken huge inspiration from the likes of Frank Budgen, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze. When it comes to long form I’m obsessed with a few directors for different reasons the likes of David Fincher, Woody Allen to name a few.
What are you watching, reading, listening to? Where do you see ads or branding most?
Currently watching Boardwalk Empire Season 2 which I’m loving and listening to the Black Keys. I see branding mostly on the internet.
