Young Lions Australia winning film screened in Val Morgan cinemas nationally

A short film that won the 2025 Young Lions Australia Competition, and catapulted its young directors onto the national stage at Cannes, will screen in the Val Morgan Cinema pre-show in cinemas nationally from today as part of an eight-week campaign for the food sustainability app, Saveful.

Choose Me Again was created by Loz Maneschi (above right) and Lewis Clark (left) from Cocogun and responded to a competitive brief to help tackle Australia’s growing food waste problem. Bringing a touch of drama to the pantry, it personifies forgotten ingredients as one-hit wonders pleading for a second chance – complete with an original ballad urging people to give them new life instead of letting them go to waste.

The film has been crafted for cinema in partnership with 3P Studio and Rumble Studios, with Val Morgan Cinema providing advertising support, as part of its commitment to the Young Lions Australia Competition and Saveful.

“Winning Young Lions was surreal enough, but watching Choose Me Again play on the big screen will be something else entirely,” says Maneschi (above right) and Clark (left). “We’re so grateful to Val Morgan for giving our idea such a huge stage, and 3P and Rumble for pouring their craft into making it sing for cinema.”

The Choose Me Again premiere coincides with Val Morgan Cinema presenting a curated showcase of standout work from the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity at Cannes Download that screened in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before the national roadshow continues in Adelaide (August 27) and Perth (September 2).

Says Guy Burbidge, Managing Director, Val Morgan Cinema: “We’re committed to spotlighting the best of Australian creativity, and the Young Lions program is where that starts. Cinema brings stories and ideas to life like no other media channel can. We’re proud to support the next generation of storytellers and creatives like Loz and Lew, and give them the opportunity to showcase their work on the biggest, most powerful platform has been a real privilege.”

The Cannes Download national roadshow’s presenting partner is Val Morgan with LinkedIn. Young Lions Australia is proudly presented by Meta, Nine, and Val Morgan, with support from AANA, MFA, and IAB Australia.

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