CANNES, France — Faux HBO commercial "It's Not Porn" screened yesterday to loud cheers from the advertising industry at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, according to AdWeek.
Director Alberto Belli made the commercial-length short film almost a year ago, but it was shown to a brand new audience this week at the festival's Saatchi & Saatchi 2014 New Directors' Showcase.
The Cannes Lions festival is mostly about real advertising, but Saatchi & Saatchi screened the short that makes play of what actors do when they have to go out for auditions.
The short, which cost $250 to make, went viral shortly after it posted on YouTube and now counts 4.8 million views.
It was one of 11 ads the agency screened for attendees at the Cannes Lions, a major festival and annual awards show for the ad industry.