Stories

Go behind the craft. Industry insights, case studies, and interviews with the most inspiring thought leaders from the CICLOPE community around the world.

CICLOPE Awards

CICLOPE Awards: 2024 Shortlist Announced

2024 Shortlist Announced

We are glad to announce the shortlist for the 2024 edition of CICLOPE Festival. The shortlist includes the highest ranked entries in each of the 41 categories, based on the scores given by the Festival’s Jury, that comprises 200 top industry talent from around 30 different countries.

Craft is a winning entry

Behind the Idea: Craft is a winning entry

Craft is not just about making the very best film or campaign, it’s also the process and execution behind the scenes that brings the idea to life. So we wanted to dig deeper into what it takes to make an entry, and case film, shine.

Behind the Idea: Patrick Milling-Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, SMUGGLER

Behind the Idea: Patrick Milling-Smith, Co-Founder & CEO, Smuggler

We spoke to Patrick Milling-Smith, co-founder and CEO of SMUGGLER and Jury President of Production about his inspirations, predictions for the year ahead and highlights from this year’s Festival in Berlin.

CICLOPE Festival 2023: Wrap-Up

CICLOPE Festival 2023: The Highlights

CICLOPE 2023 is a wrap. And here’s our wrap-up video. Thank you to everyone who entered, judged, spoke, attended and sent love from afar. We are so grateful to all of you and we had so much fun in Berlin. We hope you did too. Three whole days of inspiration and craft went by in a flash.

CICLOPE Festival 2023: Winners Announcement

Newsflash: 2023 Festival Winners Announced

The winners of CICLOPE Festival 2023 have been announced. The biggest CICLOPE Festival to date saw attendees gather in Berlin to celebrate the power of craft in a three-day festival, culminating in the Awards Show.

Newsflash: CICLOPE 2023 announces Shortlist

Newsflash: CICLOPE announces Shortlist 2023

CICLOPE Festival has announced the Shortlist selected by the Jury across 37 distinct craft and creative categories. Winners will be decided by the Jury in the final stages of judging, live in Berlin, to set the global benchmark for the world’s best-crafted creative work of the year.

Newsflash: Full programme is out now

Newsflash: Full programme is out now

CICLOPE Festival returns to Berlin this November and has just announced its full programme and speaker line-up. Set to be bigger than ever, the evolving three day event includes talks from some of the biggest names in craft and creativity.

Craft in Culture: What about the ethics of AI?

Craft in Culture: What about the ethics of AI?

For craftspeople and creatives, whose skills have been honed carefully and exhaustively, AI may not the most welcome bedfellow, or it could be a tool to enhance excellence. Ripples of progress have shown how AI is stepping into the creative process, transforming processes, speeding up systems and helping human creativity to scale new heights. The opportunities and implications ahead are massive, and no one knows quite what the future holds.

Craft in Culture: Taboo-breaking

Craft in Culture: Taboo-breaking

Taboos are those embarrassing, offensive or awkward topics which are often avoided in “polite” company, on the basis of deep-rooted and complex social and cultural norms. Even in the 21st century, it’s incredible to think that facts of life: periods, body hair, polygamy, cross-dressing, adultery and homosexuality are still so steeped in stigma.

Behind the Idea: Tanja Grubner

Behind the Idea: Tanja Grubner

Essity, a global, leading health and hygiene company, has been at the forefront of the taboo revolution, creating cultural change through its impeccably crafted creative campaigns, and changing advertising laws in the process.