Hyundai Motor takes Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2025

Hyundai Motor Company won five awards, including the prestigious Grand Prix, at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, often dubbed the “Academy Awards of the advertising world.”

The company announced on June 22 that its short film Night Fishing, directed by Moon Byung-gon and starring actor Son Suk-ku, won the Grand Prix in the Entertainment category and a Silver Lion in the Film category at the festival held in Cannes, France, from June 16 to 20.

“Night Fishing” is a branded short film that reveals a mysterious event and twist at an electric vehicle charging station. Its cinematic style and innovative storytelling, breaking from traditional advertising formats, drew widespread industry attention.

Hyundai’s corporate social responsibility campaign "Tree Reporter" also earned multiple honors. The campaign, which featured AI-powered marketing and a first-person narrative told from the perspective of a tree, won two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion in the Digital Craft category.

Building on its success, Hyundai and its creative partner Innocean hosted a seminar in Cannes on June 18 titled “Less advertising, more real stories.” The Cannes Lions committee offers such seminars to brands recognized for creative excellence.

“Global marketing is evolving into a competitive space not only among industry players but also with individual creators," Jee Sung-won, executive vice president and head of Hyundai’s Brand Marketing Division, said at the event. "Hyundai will continue to collaborate with creators to lead communication trends in branding.”

Including this year’s honors, Hyundai has now accumulated one Grand Prix, two Gold Lions, five Silver Lions, and six Bronze Lions at Cannes Lions to date.


Jae-Hyeng Kim monami@donga.com