INDIA’S LONE BRONZE AT CANNES LIONS 2026

India’s tally at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026 rose by just one metal on Day 2, with TBWA\Lintas Mumbai and Ducktape Studios winning a Bronze Lion in the Script category for ‘Don’t Look Up’, a darkly humorous film for Steadfast Stationery’s fake money detector.  

India’s presence at Cannes Lions this year has been subdued, with only five Lions secured so far. The standout among them is ‘Don’t Look Up’, a collaboration between TBWA\Lintas Mumbai and Ducktape Studios, which earned a Bronze Lion in the Script category. The film, created for Steadfast Stationery’s counterfeit money detector, uses escalating absurdity and dark humour to transform the simple act of holding a banknote up to the light into a gripping narrative.  

Russell Barrett, chief creative experience officer at TBWA\Lintas, credited Kapil Batra, president – creative, for the script that anchored the project. “The reason this film is so special is because of the story that Kapil told. The script is what started it,” Barrett said. He also praised director Raylin Valles of Ducktape Studios for elevating the narrative through inspired direction and AI-driven craft. “While it may have won in the Script writing category, without the inspired film direction and AI work, nothing would’ve happened.”  

The film’s structure is notable for keeping the product largely out of sight until the final reveal, a choice Barrett defended as strategic. “I’d argue that the product is the hero. It’s at the centre of this story. Without the Steadfast product this film wouldn’t exist. Being central to a story doesn’t mean it needs to be in every frame of a film.”  

By turning a functional product into a piece of entertaining storytelling, the campaign demonstrates how creative ambition can elevate even utilitarian solutions. Barrett reflected on the challenge of making such products resonate beyond their category: “Whether a product is B2B or B2C, everything needs to start with the idea. A great idea brilliantly told with the tools we have at our command, in this age gives any brand its winning edge.”  

India’s overall showing at Cannes Lions 2026 remains modest, with agencies seemingly pursuing a more selective entry strategy that prioritises quality over volume. While this approach has yet to yield a broader medal haul, the campaigns that have succeeded reaffirm India’s strength in transforming local insights into ideas with universal appeal. ‘Don’t Look Up’ exemplifies this edge, proving that even a functional product can capture global attention when storytelling takes centre stage.