India's Eeksaurus Studios has earned a shortlist spot in the Film Craft Lions category at Cannes for its animated campaign Desi Oon. Created for the Centre for Pastoralism and Wool Studio, the project is recognized under the Animation subcategory.
The campaign weaves together traditional storytelling and modern design to spotlight India's indigenous wool economy, using fluid animation and rich textures to revive interest in sustainable pastoral practices. The shortlist nod recognises the craft and cultural relevance embedded in the film.
Eeksaurus joins an international line-up of animated contenders, including:
- ‘Eco-Illogical’ – Darwin & Verne, Madrid for SEO/BirdLife (Spain)
- ‘Being Vegan is Good Sh*t’ – Flamboyant Paradise, Buenos Aires for PETA (Argentina)
- ‘Wake Up’ – Droga5, New York for Xbox (USA)
- ‘SpongeBob x Cactus Plant Flea Market x Uniqlo’ – Somesuch, Los Angeles (USA)
- ‘Telstra – Better on a Better Network’ – Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, Sydney (Australia)
- ‘Zuzu’ – Ogilvy Chicago for SC Johnson (USA)
- ‘The Snowball’ – FCB Health, New York for SafeProject. (USA)
- ‘18 Months’ – Klick Health, Toronto for Second Nurture (Canada)
- ‘Surrounded’ – Buck, Los Angeles for Airbnb (USA)
- ‘Severance S2 – Opening Title’ – Apple, Cupertino (USA)
- ‘My Gut Friend’ – Gut, Mexico City (Mexico)
- ‘Flock’ – TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles for Apple iPhone (USA)
This marks a notable moment for Indian animation on the global stage, where ‘Desi Oon’ stands out not just for visual finesse but also for its rooted narrative celebrating local artisanship and environmental consciousness.
Cannes Lions has announced the shortlists in the Craft, Entertainment and some for engagement categories. Craft shortlist includes shortlists for Design, Digital Craft, Film Craft, and Industry Craft sub categories. Entertainment category has announced shortlists for all sub categories as well including Entertainment, Entertainment Lion for Gaming, Entertainment Lion for Music, and Entertainment Lion for Sports. Whereas only shortlists for four sub categories of Engagement have been released, including Direct, Media, PR, and Social & Creator sub categories.
The Cannes Lions Awards Shows will take place from Monday, June 16 to Friday, June 20, 2025, with more shortlists across other categories to be revealed in the coming days.
