Apple’s position as both American and the biggest brand in the world can be problematic for its perception in France. In order to improve Franco-pomme relations, Apple and its agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab worked with Partizan director Michel Gondry to shoot a ten-minute short film entirely on an iPhone 7 Plus.

Détour is inspired by the works of Jaques Tati and Albert Lamorisse, among others, paying homage to French cinematic history and culture. It follows the story of a young girl’s tricycle, which gets lost as a French family leaves home for their summer holiday. After becoming accidentally separated from the family, the tricycle is propelled on an unbelievable journey of seemingly unplanned events through the stunning French countryside. On the way, viewers are introduced to the eccentric and endearing characters that are typical of Michel Gondry’s imagined universe. The film was soundtracked by Étienne Charry, Gondry’s long-time collaborator.

Following the release of a teaser and trailer, the film launched with a Paris premiere, where Gondry answered questions after the screening. Billboards in key locations and 15-second social ads continued to promote the film throughout July. Alongside the film, Gondry produced a series of engaging ‘how-to’ videos in both French and English to share some of his filmmaking techniques with a wider audience.

View all the winning work from The Annual 2018 here.

Entrant/Production Company: Partizan. Director: Michel Gondry. Executive Producer: Jenny Beckett. Producer: David Stewart. DOP: Laurent Brunet. Ad Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab. Executive Producer: Dan Heighes. Agency Producer: Ben Roberts. Group  Creative Director: Stephen Hancock. Creative Director: Thomas Gerbeaux. Creative Director: Pauline Kerleroux. Post House: Royal Post. Editor: Marie-Charlotte Moreau. Post-Producers: Elsy Forsbom, Arianna Maniscalco. Post Operator: Yourick Van Impe. Sound House: 750mph. Sound Designer: Andy Humphreys. Music Composer: Étienne Charry.