Montreal: Cosimo Cavallaro was voted Director of the Year at the recent Publicite Club de Montreal annual advertising and creative awards competition.

The commercial director/artist and dop Peter Hartmann won for a richly transparent 60-second corporate spot produced by Figaro Films for Canadian National and agency bcp.

The multilayered production features a zooming train as it travels over a landscape of Canadian lives and businesses. It earlier picked up a Bessie Award.

A director and partner with Montreal’s Figaro, Cavallaro says despite the spot’s high-tech feel, ‘it is transparent and able to leave an emotional imprint.’

Initially trained as an art director, he’s moved to New York where he’s opened a painting studio.

On his evolving mind set as artist/commercial director, Cavallaro says, ‘I’ve been too cynical in the past. I realized all I was doing was forcing myself to be in the wrong places.

‘Yes, I believe in advertising. What I believe in is the manipulation of people, in charisma, in overpowering. People are weaker and people are stronger. What counts is how one uses the power. Gandhi proved power is not pejorative. You can be very intelligent but focus on the worst thing in your environment.’

Cavallaro claims good advertising strives to be real and is harmed when it misrepresents itself.

‘It’s like a guy pretending to be an impoverished bum, except he actually lives on the Upper East Side (of Manhattan).’

After seven years directing commercials, Cavallaro is developing a first feature film project, ‘a coming-of-age story,’ with Montreal producer Lise Abastado. He says ‘there’s interest from Alliance’ in the film.

In his own tauntingly creative manner, Cavallaro says the film, called Echoes, is a story of a man who wakes up and discovers he has a child’s mind.

‘It’s about the ball of a bell that swings back and forth to create a soundbut the only thing that can be found is the crack in the bell.

‘It’s all coming together – film, sculpture, paintings – and for the first time I’m not afraid. Fear kept me self-righteous. I had one focal lens and now I’ve discovered I have many. I’m no longer motivated by my anger.’

Highlights on Cavallaro’s reel include an influential pool for Bank of Montreal, a Caisse Desjardins pool featuring children with parents flying kites and a commercial for B.C. Workman’s Compensation.