Ciclope Festival

28/09/2026

ROBOTS, PRACTICALLY SPEAKING

We’re pleased to share the next speaker joining CICLOPE Festival programme 2026.

Bine Bach is a very hands-on, practical director. So naturally, she decided to make a music video with robots. About robots.

This session goes behind the process, the happy accidents and the unexpected lessons that came from finding out what robots can actually do. Sometimes the best way to understand new technology is to poke it with a stick.

6–8 October | HKW, Berlin

🎟️ Passes available now at ciclopefestival.com

28/09/2026

How do you make the impossible feel seamless?

Part of the CICLOPE Festival 2026 programme, we bring you ‘Practically Impossible’. A conversation about where production design, practical effects and VFX meet and how the right combination of tools can make the impossible feel real.

For Netflix’s ‘Discover Your Future’, directed by Show Yanagisawa, multiple iconic worlds came together - each bringing its own creative and technical challenges.

Joined by Orlee Tatarka (), Suzanne Hargrove (), Dan Betteridge and Ryan Knowles (), this session goes behind the making of the film and the decisions that shaped every frame: what to build, what to capture in camera and what to create digitally.

6–8 October | HKW, Berlin

🎟️ Passes available now at ciclopefestival.com

24/09/2026

The official CICLOPE Awards 2026 Shortlist is here 🎉

CICLOPE Awards honor the work benchmarking craft excellence and the outstanding talent behind it.

This year’s edition had record participation, and celebrates unique creativity from around the world more than ever before. Finalists include entries from New Zealand, Ireland, Greece, Slovakia, Taiwan, India and Peru, alongside those from the United Kingdom, United States and across Europe.

The Jury of industry-leading experts will decide the year’s best commercials, music videos, brand experiences, digital production and short films at the final round of judging live in Berlin.

These will include those in all new categories, such as the For Good and dedicated AI Craft sections, which highlight innovative work shaping the future of craft and creativity.

Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on closing night of CICLOPE Festival 2026, Thursday 8 October at HKW.

Secure your pass to join them at the Home of Craft, link in bio.

21/09/2026

How do you make AI feel human?

Part of the CICLOPE Festival 2026 programme, we bring you ‘Behind OpenAI’s First Ever Campaign’.

Go behind OpenAI’s first large-scale brand campaign with Miles Jay , Director ( ), Laurie Howell , Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer (), and Zach Stubenvoll , Vice President of Creative (). This session brings together client, agency, line producer and director to go behind the scenes exploring the craft and creative process behind Making ChatGPT.

Taking an unexpectedly human approach, the campaign brings to life a series of films about cooking, getting stronger, falling in love and spending time with family. Shot on 35mm. not AI. 🎞️

6–8 October | HKW, Berlin

🎟️ Passes available now, link in bio.

18/09/2026

14/09/2026

The CICLOPE Festival 2026 programme brings ‘Rip the Script’ to stage.

Speakers Dan Streit, Director (Somesuch), Blair Warren, Global Executive Creative Director (Wieden+Kennedy Portland) and Ben McLaughlin, Senior Creative Director, Global Football (Nike). Together, they’ll take the stage to unpack the making of Nike’s Rip the Script, the six-minute World Cup film that brought together more than 30 of the biggest names across football, sport and culture. From Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland to Ronaldinho, LeBron James, Travis Scott and Kim Kardashian.

Directed by Dan Streit, the film turns a meticulously controlled production into a playground for the unexpected. But creating that sense of spontaneity across five cities, multiple sets, genres, visual effects and interconnected storylines required an extraordinary level of precision behind the scenes.

This case study offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the people who made it happen. To understand the decisions behind the work, the challenges of producing at this scale and how creative teams can leave room for the unexpected.

Some of the most valuable conversations in our industry happen when we’re in the room together. Hearing the thinking behind the work, asking questions, sharing perspectives and connecting with the people who are shaping what comes next.

Rip the Script
Client: Nike
Director: Dan Streit .streit
Production: Somesuch
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy

6–8 October | HKW, Berlin

🎟️ Explore the CICLOPE Festival 2026 programme and get your passes at ciclopefestival.com

25/08/2026

THE VOICES SHAPING CRAFT

You’ve seen the work. Now meet the people behind it.

From Coinbase, Nike, Cerveza Victoria, adidas, LEGO, OpenAI and Squarespace, this year’s CICLOPE Festival brings together the creative leaders, storytellers and emerging talent shaping what comes next.

From global creative voices to the next generation of directing talent, CICLOPE is a place for the people behind the work to share the thinking, ideas and experiences that brought it to life.

Join us 6–8 October at HKW, Berlin, for three days of conversations about the industry, with the industry.

Meet the 2026 speaker lineup and secure your Festival pass to be part of it at the Home of Craft.

14/08/2026

EXTENDED ENTRY DEADLINE 📣

One more week. One more chance to put your work in front of the 2026 CICLOPE Jury.

The final deadline to enter this year’s CICLOPE Awards is now Friday 21 August.

From Unsigned Directors and New Talent in Commercials, to New Talent in Music Videos, CICLOPE is creating more space for the next generation of creative talent to be recognised alongside the work setting the benchmark for craft.

Whether you’re established, emerging or entering CICLOPE for the first time, the jury wants to see the work making an impact and shaping where the industry goes next.

Explore CICLOPE Craft, CICLOPE Ideas and CICLOPE Entertainment, find the right section for your work and make sure the Jury has yours on the table.

Entries close Friday 21 August. Enter via ciclopefestival.com.

11/08/2026

Craft is always evolving. The best way to stay ahead is to be part of the conversation.

We’re pleased to reveal the next speakers joining CICLOPE Festival 2026, bringing together world-class talent from across advertising, film, production and creativity.

For three days this October, Berlin becomes the meeting point for the international creative community. Sharing ideas, challenging perspectives and celebrating the people behind the work.

6–8 October
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Berlin

Discover the speakers announced so far and secure your Festival pass at ciclopefestival.com