Working with D&AD and Mothership Productions, the programme is available to advertising film directors in first three years of their directing careers.
McCann India has started Fresh Take 2026, a talent initiative meant to help India’s up-and-coming advertising film directors.
Working with D&AD and Mothership Productions, the programme is available to advertising film directors within the first three years of their directing careers.
Entries are welcome till July 10, 2026. Applicants may turn in a maximum of five works created between June 1, 2023 and June 30, 2026. The submitted work must have been done during the first three years the participant was a director.
Entries will be judged on creative voice, narrative ability, and execution by a jury of experts from the advertising, filmmaking, and content sectors, according to McCann India.
The winner will be commissioned for two projects over a 12-month period with McCann India and will get a paid trip to the D&AD Festival 2027. Two runners-up will get free access to D&AD’s online masterclass series “Storytelling for Action”.
Discussing the programme, Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer of McCann India, remarked, “Discovering talent had always been a major component of the advertising business. We have found and provided decent talent to numerous other creative fields. But over the last few years, we’ve started leaning progressively into the tried and true. This is a little action that will help us to restore the same. Young talent that could guide us into the direction of filmmaking and storytelling.
D&AD COO Donal Keenan remarked, “Supporting the next generation of rising talent is so critical. We are happy to work with McCann in India to keep supporting and spotlighting talent from the area as D&AD offers really well across its learning and talent initiatives worldwide. I am excited to see the winners at the D&AD Festival 2027 and wish all competitors the very best of luck.
Built on McCann India’s size and Mothership Productions’ aim to bring young talent to the forefront, Kashif Memon, Founder and Executive Producer, Mothership Productions said, “Fresh Take 2026 is an eye-opener for both agencies and aspiring ad filmmakers. This high-stakes award presentation pushes the business to pay attention to young and mostly undiscovered voices while also challenging these somewhat newer directors to win a paid trip to D&AD by showing they know precisely what sells and what ticks. What’s not to love?
The winners will be revealed on August 7, 2026.
