UNICEF / QANTAS - 5Fund

CASE STUDY

Client: UNICEF
Agency: Iris Worldwide
Role: Director & Creative Lead
Medium: 75-second in-flight film + airport activations

UNICEF partnered with QANTAS to reinvigorate their inflight donation initiative at a time when foreign currency contributions had dropped by 23%. The brief was simple but powerful: Australia’s smallest and most overlooked coin—the 5 cent piece—could provide two days of clean drinking water for a child. The challenge was to make passengers see the value in something they typically ignore.

Over coffee, ECD Mike Spirkovski (then of Iris Worldwide) shared the spark of an idea: a 5 cent coin lying on a tray table, from which a small boy emerges, drinking from a well. He imagined it not as a literal scene, but something metaphorical—like the coin itself giving life. That moment became the visual cornerstone of the film. I was given creative autonomy to develop the rest of the narrative: a series of unfolding moments that would show how donated coins fund UNICEF’s essential work for children in need.

After researching UNICEF’s overseas services, I developed a sequence of visual story moments to represent their impact across health, education, and access to clean water. Each scene was built around a simple before-and-after idea: a glimpse of hardship, followed by a gentle transformation into a better reality made possible by UNICEF’s help. I wanted the shift between those moments to feel subtle—illustrating that with support, even small changes can have a monumental effect on a child’s life.]

Visually, the entire film was grounded in 3D animation, with each scene rising from the surface of a 5 cent coin as if formed from liquid metal. I was given creative autonomy to direct how these moments would unfold, starting with a boy emerging from the coin to drink from a clean water well—his form animated to rise smoothly from the coin’s surface using liquid-like transitions in post. From there, I designed a series of follow-on scenes, each crafted to show the power of a small donation in action.

In one example, a child’s hand is raised above their head to support a stack of bricks—a nod to child labour conditions. The scene then transitions subtly: the bricks disappear, but the hand remains raised, now to answer a question in a classroom. These quiet visual shifts helped reinforce the core idea—that although the changes may seem slight on screen, their real-world impact is significant.

Beyond being integral in developing the concept and narrative arc, I sourced animation references, worked closely with the post team to shape pacing, framing, and emotional clarity - providing a detailed 'Shoot Map' to guide the visual flow. I also helped write the copy and directed the voiceover artist to ensure the tone matched the film's emotional intent.

The campaign was a huge success:

• 1.3 million 5 cent coins donated in just four months

• 2.7 million days of clean water provided

• 79% increase in domestic UNICEF donations

• QANTAS’ 4th most viewed YouTube video at the time, with 380,000+ views, all with no paid media

AWARDS

Shots Young Director Award – Cannes, France
  - Charity (Asia Pacific) – First Prize
  - Animation (Asia Pacific) – Finalist

AWARD Awards
  - Craft in Advertising – Animation – Bronze

Spikes Asia
  - Craft in Advertising – Animation – Bronze Spike

Cannes Lions – Cannes, France
  - Online Film – Charity – Shortlist

This project reflects the kind of director I am—one who digs into the ‘why’ behind a message, then crafts a visual and emotional world that stays true to it. 

SHOOT MAP I DEVISED: 

MODEL REFERENCES