“Lara” is the first film in Translated‘s history: it could be defined as a fully-fledged short film rather than just a commercial. The Italian localization agency chose to focus more on the brand’s values than on its services, attempting to convey the diversity of culture and languages through a novel character: Lara, a special young girl who can speak every language in the world. A gift that she generously chooses not to keep just to herself, but to put at the service of her community in order to help everyone.
The film stems from a desire to communicate the value of words and the importance that translation holds for our society: translating means allowing everyone to understand the world and to be understood. The “miracle” of translation is told through a slightly surreal fairy tale set on a remote island in the Mediterranean (the film was shot entirely in Salina, a small island off Sicily). The Belgian director Koen Mortier, known for his highly natural style, was entrusted with the task of directing the film. As mentioned, this mini-movie has a narrative rarely found in commercials: it is more reminiscent of a trailer or a short film. Translated, which made and distributed the film, is only mentioned in the end credits of the video; the company’s role speaks to its desire to pay tribute to players in the field of localization rather than taking the limelight itself. An elegant and unobtrusive presence which, in our view, proved effective in such delightfully value-driven communication.
“Lara” was launched with a major digital and social media campaign. From 20 December 2020 to 31 July 2021, the mini-movie has racked up 50 million views across YouTube, social media, Vimeo, and the Translated website, which hosts a page describing the project.
LARA – A film by Translated from AUGE on Vimeo.
“Lara was an immediate hit with our audience and beyond. Since the launch, we’ve constantly received expressions of appreciation and passion for our story. Many people have even said they were disappointed that it was a mini-movie — they were expecting to see the story become a feature film straight away. To these many fans we can say, who knows… the Lara project isn’t over yet!” says Daniele Patrioli, Marketing VP at Translated.
In addition to translation professionals, Lara has sparked the interest of many industry specialists and won space and appreciation in important publications from the world of advertising and communication, including Shots and Ad Age. The film was shortlisted 5 times at the New York Festivals Advertising Awards 2021: a prestigious competition that boasts the participation of the best international brands with each edition and rewards the most creative, surprising, and effective communication campaigns released that year. And Lara did not come home empty-handed. Far from it, in fact, winning a total of 4 awards: a bronze in the Film Craft – Direction category and 3 Finalist berths in the categories.
Marco Trombetti, Translated’s CEO, had the following to say about the award: “We are particularly happy and proud of this accolade, which further confirms the universal value of a story like “Lara”, a story that first and foremost sets out to be a hymn to human’s extraordinary resources and fostering understanding between people”.
