Cannes Contenders 2016: Kinetic India

How much time really does a Cannes juror get to understand a case or piece of work s/he hasn't come across before? Too little. It's up to us to help them get acquainted with the good work prior.     While we do that through the year, this Riviera season we have decided to go the extra mile to celebrate the contenders.    

 

We present here entries from Indian / South Asian agencies that their creators believe will be in contention for Lions at the 2016 International Festival of Creativity, Cannes.  

 

Kinetic India has one contender.

 

Mukhota - the life saving mask

 

The problem to be solved was that of Indian fishermen crossing the invisible sea border inadvertently, and subsequently getting arrested. They did not have the equipment to warn them that they were straying into another country's waters.

 

The agency noticed a mask carried by fishermen called Mukhota on their boat to ward off evil spirits. These masks were turned into alarm systems that warned fishermen as they got close to the sea border. Attached GPS systems were used to measure and track the boats' latitude and longitude positions. A real time alert helped them turn back without crossing the border. Villagers were trained on how the masks work prior. Over 2,000 masks have been distributed, according to the agency.