If history had coverage, things might be different

In the latest chapter of Ce N’est Pas Telia, Telia takes that idea into the past, imagining what might have happened if history had come with coverage and internet access.

Telia, Sweden’s largest mobile operator, continues to build on its long-running advertising platform by turning its gaze backwards. In the films, lack of coverage lead to historical consequences. Perhaps history would not have gone quite so wrong, if only someone had had Telia.

Created by Åkestam Holst and directed by Jens Jonsson through Giants & Toys, the new films bring the familiar humour of “Ce N’est Pas Telia” into a more cinematic and world-building space, where period drama, historical detail and comic timing carry the idea.

From costume and production design to casting and location, the production leans into authenticity to make each era feel believable. The more seriously the historical worlds are treated, the sharper the contrast becomes: people have always needed to reach each other, but without connection history turned into historical disaster. 

“Give me a good script and the film is already halfway there. My focus was finding the balance between large-scale historical storytelling and the absurd tone that defines the concept. And, as always, the films are nothing without great actors,” says director Jonsson.

The result is a campaign where the craft of period filmmaking is used to sharpen a simple, modern insight: with the right connection, a lot of problems could have been avoided much earlier. The films were shot in Cape Town, South Africa.