Double Oscar Winner Ben Proudfoot To Premiere Doc On Advertising Pioneer Ilon Specht, Who Created L’Oréal’s “Because I’m Worth It” Campaign
Filmmaker Ben Proudfoot is set to premiere his latest documentary short, just a few months after winning the second Academy Award of his career.
The Final Copy of Ilon Specht, produced by Traverse32 and Breakwater Studios, tells the story of “the unsung advertising genius who coined L’Oréal’s iconic ‘Because I’m Worth It’ slogan in 1971, a four-word feminist manifesto that, against all odds, changed advertising forever.”
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The film will bow June 10 at Tribeca X, a two-day event celebrating “the intersection of advertising, storytelling and innovation” that runs parallel with New York’s Tribeca Festival. A release describes The Final Copy of Ilon Specht as an intimate deathbed account from the pioneering creative, who died on May 10 at the age of 81.
“For over 50 years, global beauty brand leader, L’Oréal Paris, has been synonymous with its famed ‘Because I’m Worth It’ tagline,” notes a synopsis of the film. “Written on the heels of the feminist movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the phrase was crafted in an overt act of copy rebellion by trailblazing former McCann copywriter Ilon Specht, then one of advertising’s few female creatives.”
The synopsis continues, “Now, for the first time in many years, audiences will see and hear from the little-known woman whose unabashed belief in her own worth enabled generations of women around the world to believe in their own. Through a series of poignant, and at times, comical interviews with Ilon and her stepdaughter, viewers will get an intimate glimpse into Ilon’s inimitable life and fiery spirit as they reflect on the creative genius’s legacy in her remaining few months.”
The Final Copy of Ilon Specht marks the first collaboration of award-winning teams at Traverse32 (5B, Dear Santa), IPG Mediabrands’ indie production company and development studio, and Proudfoot’s Breakwater Studios. As part of the deal, Proudfoot directs and produces the film alongside Breakwater Studios’ Kirsten Falk and Rachel Greenwald, and IPG Mediabrands Global Chief Content Officer & Traverse32 Global President Brendan Gaul.
Gaul will also lead the film’s domestic and international distribution efforts. Traverse32’s Global Head of Production Brett Henenberg executive produces along with Daryl Lee, Global CEO, McCann Worldgroup, Charlotte Franceries, President, McCann Paris, & EVP Global Business Leader, L’Oréal Paris, and Julien Calot, Chief Creative Officer, McCann Paris.
In March, Proudfoot and Kris Bowers won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short for The Last Repair Shop, a film about the dedicated team that repairs musical instruments for students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Proudfoot won his first Academy Award in 2022 for The Queen of Basketball, a film he solo-directed about Lucy Harris, considered one of the greatest hoops stars of all time.
Proudfoot and Bowers also earned an Academy Award nomination for the 2020 short A Concerto Is a Conversation, a film about Bowers’ grandfather, Horace Bowers Sr., who left the Jim Crow South to become a successful businessman in Los Angeles.
Tribeca X will be held June 10 and 11 at Convene One Liberty Plaza in lower Manhattan. Featured speakers include Brooke Shields, Jon Bon Jovi, Jesse Bongiovi, Katie Couric, Media CEO Byron Allen, supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, Terry Crews, execs from Pfizer, Molson Coors, and others.
Tribeca X is introducing two new prizes this year: the Tribeca X Social Impact Award, celebrating projects that leverage storytelling for change, and the Tribeca X Environmental Impact Award, highlighting projects addressing urgent environmental issues through storytelling. The new prizes join existing awards in these categories: Feature Films, Short Films, Episodic Series, Audio, Games & Immersive, Commercial Spots, and Creator/Influencer Collaborations. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on June 11th.
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