Good things come in threes; ​Emma Branderhorst's Cannes winning streak

“It can be hard to trust in your vision. But with Piece of Me, the clients gave me so much freedom, which gave me trust in my abilities,” explains director Emma Branderhorst, who is represented by The Corner Shop and Divine, on her record-breaking Cannes Grand Prix win. “When I trust myself, I know I can make something beautiful”.

The ability to achieve true authenticity in commercial film is currently more valuable than ever, especially when it comes to creating work that resonates with increasingly hard-to-reach young audiences. It's a skill Branderhorst has effortlessly mastered. 

I always thought that If I wanted to make commercials, they had to be big and flashy. But now, I’ve found out that I need to stay super close to myself and my style.

Balancing cinematic, character-led storytelling with truthful depictions of real-life issues, her films resonate deeply and raise awareness on often-overlooked social topics. Placing strong female protagonists at the forefront, she applies a subtle, realistic approach to ensure the narrative extends beyond the central concept. Her work to date has sensitively explored topics including period poverty, children of war, online shaming, mother-daughter relationships, and love – in all its many forms.

Piece of Me, created with Dentsu Creative Amsterdam for KPN, won the Grand Prix for Creative Strategy.

Born in a small town in the Netherlands, she dreamed of becoming a professional actress, but after years of failed auditions took a job as an assistant at a casting agency. "I was just making coffee, but I saw how amazing it was to direct people." She later applied to the Art Academy in Utrecht and was surprised to be accepted, despite never having shot a film. "I don't know why they accepted me, but I think they liked my way of storytelling."

I think we tend to overcomplicate what young audiences want, assuming everything needs to be fast and flashy.

Her directorial debut Under the Skin kick-started her career in 2021, premiering at the prestigious Berlinale Generation, and has just this week been released online as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Her second short Spotless swiftly followed, earning the Crystal Bear for best film and represented Dutch short films at the Oscars in 2023. 

Since winning Gold at the Young Director Awards in 2022, she has earned a D&AD award, a second YDA Gold, and, in 2024, she became the youngest female director to win a Cannes Lions Grand Prix for her commercial Piece of Me for KPN. “Everything has happened so quickly,” she says, “I thought I would freak out more. But because this film is so ‘me’, it feels very natural.”

Ma Mere et Moi explores a complex mother-daughter relationship.

“It was very difficult for me at first, because my stories are so intimate and specific,” she explains, discussing the challenges of her early career. “I always thought that if I wanted to make commercials, they had to be big and flashy. But now, I’ve found out that I need to stay super close to myself and my style.”

Narrative, super-realistic storytelling is what I love the most and these female directors understand that perfectly.

She draws inspiration from narrative-driven female filmmakers, including Emmanuelle Nicot, Eliza Hittman, Fien Troch, and Andrea Arnold, many of whom use non-professional actors. "They're all fiction film directors. That's what I watch for inspiration. Super-realistic storytelling is what I love the most and these female directors understand that perfectly."

At just 28, Branderhorst's age undoubtedly helps her connect with young people, but perhaps her greatest strength lies in how she engages with her cast – who are also her target audience. "I always ask my actors if certain actions are realistic or if they’re just a product of my director’s imagination. I'm not in high school anymore, so I depend on their feedback. I think we tend to overcomplicate what young audiences want, assuming everything needs to be fast and flashy." This collaborative approach allows the story to evolve even after the script is written. 

Based on a true story, Brother Sister Love for Unox portrays the beautiful bond between a young woman and her brother who has Down Syndrome.

Piece of Me, created with Dentsu Creative Amsterdam through production studio WEFILM for KPN, won the Grand Prix for Creative Strategy - an award which celebrates the ‘idea behind the idea’. Centred around the brand’s primary aim of making the internet a safer place, the creative was to focus on safer internet usage, addressing issues like cyberbullying and shaming.

I always love exploring the concept of ‘what if’,” she adds. “What would happen if you didn't do this? Or what if you did? 

KPN gave Branderhorst the freedom to write an original script, and she created a gorgeously-shot visual narrative following a teenage girl as she faces the consequences of her nude pictures being shared with her classmates. Ultimately, the overwhelming shame leads her to take her own life. In an unexpected twist, Branderhorst takes us back to the start of the film, reliving the moment before the recipient shares the nudes, but this time he makes the right decision to delete them. 

Spotless tells the story of many unheard women, and aims to open up the conversation and breaking the taboo about period poverty.

Rather than telling the story through morally ‘good’ or ‘bad’ characters, Branderhorst develops strong, multi-dimensional protagonists to portray the nuanced emotional and social factors at play in this all-too-common scenario. “I didn't want to just make the boy the bad guy,” she says. “Many boys or girls do this due to peer pressure, especially in school settings. It's not always about malicious intent. Sometimes it's just a weak moment or peer pressure”. 

It was important that Piece of Me didn’t feel like a commercial, but something that could happen to your kid, sister, or niece.

The campaign leaves room for viewers to imagine a better outcome, offering a tone of optimism, understanding, and emphasising the power of our own personal choice. “I always love exploring the concept of ‘what if’,” she adds. “What would happen if you didn't do this? Or what if you did? I have a fascination with that idea. It's not about victim-blaming and descending into a dark hole where everything is terrible.”

Behind the scenes photos from shooting Piece of Me

She prefers working with non-professional actors, as their real-life experiences lend authenticity to her work. 'It was important that Piece of Me didn’t feel like a commercial, but something that could happen to your kid, sister, or niece." It was especially important for her to find actors with a personal connection with the subject. Heartbreakingly, this wasn’t hard - with 80-90% of applicants having first or second hand experience of online shaming. 

I grow with my characters. I started with high school topics, and now in my feature film I’m moving towards stories about people in their mid-20s.

But how can a young person with no prior acting experience take on lead roles in films like Piece of Me and Spotless? According to Branderhorst, it all comes down to creating a strong bond between the cast and director, along with extensive rehearsals and the guidance of intimacy coaches, who support the actors during emotionally challenging scenes. "We did group activities like bowling and reading the script together. We talked about the topic, sharing our experiences and getting closer. That’s how I love to work because it makes the acting feel more natural. It's always a gamble, though.” 

Branderhorst's graduation film, recently selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, shows how bullying can metaphorically get under your skin.

Despite the youthful themes of her award-winning work, the director emphasises that her subjects will evolve as she does. For now, she’s just passionate about telling stories close to her own heart. “I grow with my characters. I started with high school topics, and now in my feature film I’m moving towards stories about people in their mid-20s. As I get older, my characters age with me.

Film is a beautiful medium to tell stories that resonate, and there are many stories, especially about women, that haven’t been told yet. 

So what’s next when you’ve already won a Cannes Grand Prix? Branderhorst shares that she's currently working on her first feature film, moving beyond high school settings to explore the complexities of young womanhood. “It’s about two best friends who grow apart and how difficult friendship breakups can be.” In addition, she plans to expand her work internationally, focusing on narrative-driven commercials in Germany, the US and UK (where's she's repped by The Corner Shop), and France (where she's signed with Divine Studio).