Switzerland-based Sonova Holding AG, a global provider of hearing solutions, has won a total of three awards at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, a prestigious global festival for corporate films held in Cannes, France. The short film “Life without Limitations” about German junior soccer player Simon Ollert won silver in two categories: “corporate video” and “fairs, shows, events, conference openers.” A second short film, “Sound Memories,” about multiple World Beard Champion Fritz Sendlhofer, won silver in the “marketing communication – B2C” category.

Simon Ollert, Soccer Player

Soccer player Simon Ollert was profiled in Sonova’s short film “Life without Limitations.”

The Sonova Group’s communications strategy has gone from strength to strength as its emotionally powerful portraits-in-film of Simon Ollert and Fritz Sendlhofer have continued to pick up awards. The short film about young soccer player Simon Ollert, “Life without Limitations,” was featured as the cover story for Sonova’s most recent annual report (2015/16), and has already won gold at the International Commercial Film Festival. In the 2015 Swiss Annual Report Rating, where Sonova was named “Rising Star of the Year,” the jury was especially impressed by the emotional components of the company’s annual report.

For as long as Simon Ollert can remember, he has dreamed of being a professional soccer player and has relentlessly pursued this dream despite being born with profound hearing loss. Ollert says his Phonak-brand Sonova hearing aids have given him far more than just better hearing and quality of life; they have spurred his ambitions. “The short film tells my story and shows just what you can achieve despite hearing loss. Collaborating with Sonova on the film’s production has cemented an already close bond with the company,” said Ollert.

Sound Memories

Fritz Sendlhofer was profiled in Sonova’s short film “Sound Memories.”

Sounds are among the strongest triggers of memories. This observation is explored in the short film “Sound Memories,” made by Hansaton, a leading Austrian hearing services provider and Sonova Group brand. In the film, Hansaton customer and Phonak hearing aid wearer Fritz Sendlhofer, a multiple winner of the “World Beard and Mustache Championships” from Zell am See, Austria, takes a trip down memory lane, introducing viewers to some of his favorite sounds and sound memories.

“We are delighted about our wins at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards,” said Sarah Kreienbühl, GVP Corporate HRM & Communications at Sonova. “The awards indicate that our communications strategy is headed in the right direction. These short films give real-life examples of how Sonova’s innovative hearing solutions help people live a life without limitations. They give a human face to our company’s vision.”

Both award-winning short films are available for viewing on YouTube. View “Life without Limitations” here, and view “Sound Memories” here.

The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards annually honor the world’s finest corporate films, online media and TV documentaries, in one of the world’s most important film centers: Cannes, France. It is the only festival for corporate films taking place in Cannes, the city famously known for feature films and advertising productions. The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards are based in Vienna, Austria, and were founded in 2010 by Filmservice International. Since then the festival has continued to grow, becoming one of the top festivals for corporate films worldwide.

Source: Sonova

Image credits: For “Life without Limitations” photography, production company & film maker, Ehrin Macksey Productions; For “Sound Memories” photography and film production by Visual Heist, with Director Lukas Wälli, Producer Ricardo Colacurcio, Sound Design by Jingle Jungle, Agency: Freundliche Grüsse, Zürich