Tag: Short Film

Japan – Apple has unveiled ‘Last Scene’, a 27-minute short film shot entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro, spotlighting the device’s advanced camera features through a cinematic blend of time travel, drama, and heartfelt storytelling.

Directed by Cannes Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, the short film marks the acclaimed filmmaker’s first foray into time travel, blending drama and light comedy in a story about memory, legacy, and the passage of time. Known for Shoplifters and Monster, Kore-eda crafts a bittersweet tale that poses a central question: what will remain in the future, and what will disappear?

Set primarily in the coastal town of Kamakura, ‘Last Scene’ follows Kurata, an aspiring TV screenwriter played by Taiga Nakano, whose life is disrupted by the arrival of his granddaughter from 50 years in the future. Played by Momoko Fukuchi, the granddaughter’s mission reveals a paradox: saving the future of television dramas may come at the cost of her own existence. Supporting roles include Kore-eda regulars Daisuke Kuroda as a TV producer and Lily Franky as a Ferris wheel attendant who appears in both present and future timelines.

The 27-minute film doubles as a showcase for the iPhone 16 Pro’s video capabilities, with Kore-eda using the device to capture both sweeping movement and intimate emotion. Cinematic mode helps frame character moments with a shallow depth of field, while Action Mode offers stability during dynamic sequences—such as a sprint to catch the Ferris wheel. The film also makes use of 4K slow motion in Dolby Vision and the 5x telephoto lens to highlight key emotional beats and distant expressions.

Shot by award-winning cinematographer Mikiya Takimoto, the film presents a quiet, humanistic style typical of Kore-eda’s work, using mobile filmmaking tools to portray everyday moments with nuance and warmth.

“I wanted this film to be natural and unvarnished and used an iPhone 16 Pro to honestly capture the fleeting moments of everyday life and the precious things we take for granted. I envisioned the visuals of our characters’ journey from the diner to Kamakura to the Ferris wheel as gentle and brimming with warm humanity,” said Kore-eda.

Last Scene premieres May 9 at 11am JST on Apple’s YouTube channel, apple.com/jp, and the Apple TV app in Japan. It will be available to U.S. audiences from May 8 at 7pm PST.

Australia – Vaseline has launched a TikTok short film campaign with creator agency Amplify, enlisting emerging filmmakers from Australia and South Korea to showcase its lip care range in fun, unexpected ways.

The short film campaign follows characters in unexpected, extreme scenarios—like being trapped in a freezing jail cell or inflating 1,000 balloons—integrating Vaseline’s lip care range as part of the narrative.

The campaign features creators Mon & Han and Molly McCrann from Australia, alongside videographer YCN and duo Jin and Hattie from South Korea. Each brings a distinct storytelling style, using creativity and humour to highlight Vaseline’s lip care benefits in unexpected ways.

In just 48 hours, the short films have amassed over 300,000 organic views, highlighting the power of creative content to engage audiences beyond the brand’s existing reach. 

Rolled out like a drama series, the campaign includes teasers, short films, behind-the-scenes clips, and reaction videos. Updates can be found on the @VaselineANZ and @Vaseline_Korea TikTok profiles.

Hayley Adams, group operations and growth manager at Amplify, shared, “This campaign has been about creating stories that resonate rather than just showcasing a product. Working with Vaseline to bring fresh creative perspectives to life has been a rewarding process, and we’re excited to see how audiences respond.”

Beyond the short films, Vaseline is also supporting emerging talent through a film school initiative in Australia. The grant-funded competition selected Emma Smith and Damon van der Schuit, filmmakers and actors from Alice Springs, as winners, with their short film now in production. Sydney filmmaker Lara Brighton received an honourable mention for her playful, pop culture-inspired entry. The initiative further underscores the campaign’s focus on fostering creativity and storytelling.

Hui Su Li, assistant skin care manager at Unilever International, commented, “Audiences are looking for entertainment, not ads. This campaign has been an exciting opportunity to showcase our lip care range in novel, engaging ways. The process of co-creating with film producers, creators and creative minds from TikTok and Amplify has been extremely synergistic, and we’re looking forward to seeing how audiences connect and engage with these stories.”

Thailand – Thai home improvement retailer Boonthavorn is launching a new rebranding campaign that aims to show the importance of ‘living your way’. The campaign is made in collaboration with global brand experience agency VMLY&R. 

‘Live Your Way’ features a humorous short film titled “‘Ummm..”, which highlights the consequences of not making the right decisions for yourself. 

The campaign aims to make deeper connections with discerning Gen Z and Gen Y consumers while highlighting Boonthavorn’s ability to meet the needs of the individual. It also encourages the consumers to embrace their own style and eccentricities instead of just ‘settling’ and accepting whatever is available.

Sittichai Tayanuwat, managing director at Boonthavorn, said, “As a specialty store, Boonthavorn crafts the best solutions to meet the needs of the younger generation, who value distinctiveness, appreciate design and have the freedom to be themselves. Each component and detail is carefully considered so that customers can be inspired and choose a way of life that fulfills them uniquely.”

“Working with VMLY&R we’ve been able to differentiate ourselves from other homestores by launching this advertising campaign to encourage everyone to ‘Live Your Way’,” Tayanuwat added.

“At VMLY&R it’s our mission to build connected brands that resonate with target audiences in ways that are authentic and relevant. Boonthavorn’s rebrand is all about highlighting the brand’s depth of product, services and expertise – which goes way beyond other home improvement and decoration brands in Thailand,” VMLY&R Thailand’s Chief Creative Officer Anuwat Nitipanont commented.

He added, “Our strategic insight shows that this is what consumers want, however, it’s not what most brands are able or willing to deliver – and this is where Boonthavorn comes in.”

This campaign follows VMLY&R’s collaboration with used car sales platform Carsome Thailand last year titled “Mr. Handsome”.

Malaysia – In this year’s celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Malaysian cleaning appliance brand Kärcher releases a touching short film that reminds the value of ‘home’ and ‘memories’.

The almost 7-minute film was done in collaboration with social media agency Kingdom Digital, and Lui Xiao Yee, its head for account servicing, said that while the tradition of families coming together to clean and spruce up their homes in preparation for the Raya festive occasion serves as a great bonding experience, “memories are often sidelined.” 

Karcher Malaysia Kingdom Digital

Hence, the insight for the new short film, ‘Rumahku, Memoriku’ or ‘My Home, My Memories’.

The story revolves around the son, Zack, who is convincing his father to sell the family’s old house in order to gain money from it, but the father contests as the house holds many precious memories of the family. 

As the family visits and sets out to clean and ‘prepare’ the house for sale, Zack is brought back to his fond memories of childhood which he had spent happily with his parents. This brings the important realization that his parents are right all along, and that family comes first before anything else.

William Kiew, general manager of Kärcher Malaysia, said, “We are excited to have released our first Raya short film on social media platforms. Besides showcasing the capabilities of our key products to ease Malaysians with the spring-cleaning process, we hope to remind them that remnants of our past can often bring back memories and help us remember what made us who we are today.”

Kingdom Digital produced the short film in partnership with production company Untitled Films.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri which marks the end of Ramadan will be celebrated on 13 May in Malaysia. 

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine headquarters of the now global fast-food brand Jollibee has released its Christmas ad in the country, which puts to the spotlight one of the few silver linings the pandemic has brought – more time with family.

The ad is one straight out of the “new normal,” where in the first few seconds of the ad, people walking in the streets with face shields on are seen.

The ad was made with no special fuss, but hits home – people have definitely been plagued by the massive lifestyle changes amid the pandemic, but on the other hand, it has also unexpectedly brought a positive effect, such as closer ties with the family.

Such sentiment is represented by the inner thoughts of a child, who looks out the window, longing to go back outside and play in the playground. Then the mellow beginning quickly changes into a happy and grateful disposition.

From the bothered musings of the child “Hangang kailan kaya ganito…” (Until when will this continue) that are delivered as a lyrcial song, the child breaks into a smile and an upbeat tune, now enumerating, still through a song, the good side of it all: the home standing in as the boy’s playground, creating bonding moments with his parents, grandparents, and siblings.

So where does Jollibee appear? In the ad, Jollibee’s signature food items – such as Chickenjoy and Jolly Spaghetti – are displayed as the anchor for the characters’ family time at dinner and merienda (snack time).

Within two days, the ad has already raked in 2.6M views, as of writing, on YouTube. Filipino viewers loved the film, with one commenting on Jollibee’s channel, “[Nice] commercial. [Showing] the positive side of this pandemic ?? [and] bringing family closer to each other ?”

Another user commented, “Jollibee never fails me with [its] commercial ✨??”

Jollibee has been known for proactively participating in designated calendar celebrations and using its special films to pay tribute on Valentine’s, Mother’s, and Grandparents day.

One of its films released on Valentine’s of this year called #CoupleGoals, garnered 21M views, which depicts the reality among seemingly perfect couples on social media.

Aside from the brand’s Christmas ad, the fast-food chain has also recently delighted its Filipino patrons with another year-end surprise when it brought back its signature one-third pound patty burger Champ, and the jumbo variant of its staple Burger Steak, Ultimate Burger Steak.