The Unlimited unmutes South African voices

This gorgeous explosion of creativity marks an ambitious collaboration between Johannesburg agency Joe Public, production company Bioscope, plus 21 dynamic creators and 15 directors, under the guidance of lead director Fausto Becatti. 

The campaign comprises 21 short films, with a hero film, The Story of UN, that riffs on the prefix with an array of dazzling imagery from the shorts. 

The films are united by one common trait – they feature people who have pushed through boundaries of tragedy, stigma, bias or inequality: from a young man who taught himself how to build robots; drag artists breaking ground for the African LGBTQI+ community and a one-armed drummer who is undoing his past.

It boasts a lyrical script that celebrates ‘un-ness’ with entreaties such as, “uncolonise a continent… unmute and damn the consequence… un-broadcast the majority view.”

Susie Hart, head of brand at The Unlimited, commented: “Scripted as our manifesto, the commercial is a stake in the ground in terms of who we are and what we stand for. However it’s also very much a look through the lens of what it means to unlimit your life, and how different that can be for a variety of people. 

"We wanted something real and inspirational to share with people and so, the campaign is about being out there and authentic in being your true self."