McCann India’s Fresh Take 2026, held on Aug 7, brought together emerging ad film directors and industry leaders to discuss the changing landscape of commercial filmmaking and the role of creativity in an increasingly AI-led industry.
The talent platform, created by McCann India in partnership with D&AD and Mothership Productions, was launched to discover and support emerging ad film directors in India. The inaugural edition received over 90 entries, with six directors shortlisted for the showcase. Independent director Vinod Ravi was named the winner and will receive a paid trip to the D&AD Festival 2027, along with two commissioned projects with McCann India.
At the event, Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, McCann India, and Kashif Memon, Founder, Mothership Productions, spoke to IMPACT Magazine about how filmmaking and advertising are evolving.
For Memon, the opportunity for young filmmakers is as important as the talent they bring. “What was missing is an opportunity for the younger ones to get to this point quicker,” he said, adding that emerging filmmakers bring ‘a fresh process, a fresh energy, newer techniques’ and are already experimenting with AI in their work.
Mathew echoed this, saying younger talent brings perspectives that challenge conventions—which have become routine within the industry. “They probably will not pay as much heed to some rules that now have become normal for us because they don’t exist for them,” Memon said.
The discussion also turned to AI and its impact on creative work. Memon said the technology can help speed up processes such as visual effects and animation but added that the creative bar has simultaneously become higher. “If you’re just going to do regular stuff using AI, it doesn’t really strike a chord with anyone. It needs to be special,” he added.
For Mathew, the conversation around AI also needs to move beyond efficiency and focus on what it can enable creatively. “Let’s talk excitedly about AI and let’s start talking about excellence,” he said. But as AI makes execution easier, he believes authentic human thinking will become even more important. “AI needs even more authentic thinking, authentic perspectives, because it only feeds off what already exists. So, who’s going to put in stuff that don’t exist? It’s humans.”
The conversation also touched on the growing importance of culturally rooted storytelling. Mathew noted that India’s diversity makes local perspectives increasingly valuable, particularly as digital platforms allow more regional stories and filmmakers to find audiences.
As Fresh Take aims to build a stronger pipeline of filmmaking talent, the discussion highlighted a larger shift in advertising: while technology may make production faster and more accessible, distinctive ideas, cultural understanding and human perspectives remain central to making work worth watching.
