Jury Insights – Interview with Jesús Pamplona

For the latest episode of our “Jury Insights” interview series, Jesús Pamplona, screenwriter at RTVE, shares his perspective as a member of this year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards jury.

Pamplona began his career as a graphic designer at RTVE before moving into film criticism, eventually writing and editing two of the most influential film programmes in the Spanish-speaking world: “Días de Cine” and “Versión Española.” In 2025, he co-directed his first documentary, “Paloma Negra: The Queen of Amphetamines.”

In this conversation, he reflects on how a growing sense of conservatism is subtly limiting creative expression across the industry. He highlights the year’s most remarkable entries while noting that, although production values and image quality continue to rise, many works are beginning to feel increasingly similar.

Pamplona also explores the importance of genuine emotion in distinguishing a strong entry from an award-winning one and argues that the industry’s next major evolution will come from moving beyond traditional executive-led storytelling towards more authentic, spontaneous, and human voices.

“I believe that whenever there is an emotional component, and as long as it doesn't feel forced—we have a winning piece.” – Jesús Pamplona

Q: Can you tell us a little about your professional journey? What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?

I am 55 years old, and for over 20 of those years I have dedicated myself to graphic design for broadcast and to communication. My passion for cinema and audiovisual storytelling gradually led me into the world of film criticism and analysis, ultimately leading me to work on two of the most important film criticism programs in the Spanish-speaking world. After directing my first feature-length documentary in 2025, I began to see film criticism and the industry through different eyes, and I currently find myself in an uncertain professional place.

Q: Has participating in the jury changed the way you view your own work or the industry?

No, the vision of this industry—focused on communication through images, but also on conveying values or corporate image—doesn't change much. What challenges me the most in these cases is trying to deduce, bearing in mind that these projects have very different budgets and premises, the level of effort and creativity fairly between one and another.

Q: What are your impressions of this year's entries? Are there any trends or approaches that have caught your attention?

I think the world is becoming increasingly conservative, and that is also affecting creativity. Image quality keeps getting better, but paradoxically, the results of many works tend to look much more alike than they should.

Q: In your view, what distinguishes a good entry from an award-winning one?

I believe that whenever there is an emotional component—and as long as it doesn't feel forced—we have a winning piece. If, in addition to that emotional component (not necessarily dramatic), we add a refined use of captions, attractive title sequences inspired by the concepts to be conveyed, the work will be exceptional.

Q: What does a corporate film need to have for it to stay in your mind long after the judging is over?

I don't think there's a magic formula, but generally speaking, I'd say the most important thing about these pieces is that the viewer, for most of its duration, doesn't feel like they're watching a promotional clip.

Q: If you could see one industry (e.g. Finance, Tech, Pharma) completely reinvent the way it tells its stories, which would it be—and why?

Difficult question and difficult answer… I think the transformation will come from avoiding the presence of top executives in these videos and giving a more natural feel to the interventions, because they often suffer from a lack of freshness and a certain forced tone in their testimonies.

Q: As a jury member, what do you believe is the true value of awards, and why are platforms like the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards important for the industry?

Creation and ego always go hand in hand. Recognition of this kind is a way of knowing that you're on the right track. Moreover, these festivals allow us to measure ourselves against the work of others, to see what the industry trends are when it comes to attracting clients or investors, and to learn how other teams have solved projects similar to ones we've tackled in the past.