Responses by Laurent Aliphat; vice president, brand content; Renault.
Background: In 2024, 40 years after the end of its production and four years after the announcement of its return, the Renault 5 is back. This long-awaited iconic car, aimed at a rather young audience—urban, upper socioprofessional, age 35 and older—has been reinvented to meet today’s challenges and expectations: full-electric, design, tech and modern with a production relocated in France.
Design thinking: In 1972, society demanded radical change—the energy crisis, social liberation and youth activism. Renault answered with a revolutionary idea: Renault 5. In 2024, society demands radical change again—sobriety, energy transition and local manufacturing. Renault answers with a revolution again: a Renault 5 that’s 100 percent electric. Times have changed, and it’s time for a new revolution. For this exceptional car, we needed an exceptional film that would stand out, make an impression. We wanted to highlight its French spirit and its icon status, placing it among other French revolutionary icons.
Challenges: We had to find the right examples, the right references to show how France has had an impact in different fields of expertise and has excelled, innovated and left its mark to instill lasting change. Revolution can take many forms—it can be cultural or artistic, among other things. These references had to be understood by an international audience.
Favorite details: This film is one-of-a-kind and has an exceptional craft. It celebrates a French know-how and avant-garde “à la française.” The film takes the form of a dreamlike journey through different historical periods in which the car encounters other icons, each embodying a form of revolution in their own field: music with the French Touch movement, cinema with the Nouvelle Vague led by Jean-Luc Godard, photography with the humanist movement, fashion with haute couture and the Moulin Rouge with the French can-can.
Visual influences: The starting point was Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People, which inspired a pictorial effect throughout the film. This effect was adapted according to the inspirations of the scenes, the eras travelled through on this journey and the fields represented.
Specific project demands: We had to find the right balance in the pictorial effects to ensure continuity and a harmonious image throughout the filmwhile retaining a specific, legitimate identity for each sequence inspired by the field represented, such as playing with a film strip for the new wave cinema or frozen moments for the humanist photography.
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