Doc About ‘Because I’m Worth It’ ad copy writer wins 5 Cannes Lions

Two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot is going to need more room in his trophy case.

The filmmaker is returning from Europe with multiple Cannes Lions for his documentary The Final Copy of Ilon Specht, a film about the woman who created the iconic L’Oréal Paris tagline, “Because I’m worth it.”

Those four words, penned in the early 1970s by Specht as a young copywriter for the ad agency McCann-Erickson (now McCann), “empowered generations of women globally,” McCann notes, “and helped to build L’Oréal Paris into the largest beauty brand in the world.”

The short film’s five honors at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity include the Grand Prix for Film; Gold for Entertainment, Silver for Entertainment, PR, and a Bronze for Film Craft – the latter award recognizing the work of editors Mónica Salazar and Tim Johnson. Proudfoot shot the film with Specht in the last months of her life. She died of cancer in May 2024 at the age of 81.

“Many gifted hands shaped this film, but this extraordinary recognition belongs to one person: Ilon Specht,” Proudfoot said. “She transformed advertising forever with her words but never won a Lion—until now. I hope this pride of Lions and Grand Prix finds her. A worthy, if belated, triumph. Thank you to the jury, and to L’Oréal Paris, McCann, and TRAVERSE32 for doing what few dare to do: completely trust the filmmakers. That was the magic. As Ilon said, ‘It’s about humans. It’s not about advertising. It’s about caring for people.’”

To this day, “Because I’m worth it” remains core to the L’Oréal Paris brand, translated into more than 50 languages for markets around the world. L’Oréal calls those words “a rallying cry for self-affirmation, identity, and agency.”

“Ilon Specht was more than just a copywriter, she was a visionary,” Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, global brand president of L’Oréal Paris, observed. “She defied the norms of her time with one bold statement that turned into a global movement. I’m grateful to our partners at McCann who have helped bring her final words to the world in a way that honors her legacy.”

The Final Copy of Ilon Specht premiered a year ago at Tribeca X Festival in New York, going on to win Best Documentary Short at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, the Hot Springs Documentary Festival in Arkansas, and the Chelsea Film Festival in New York, as well as Best Short Documentary and the Best Atlantic Filmmaker Award at the Lunenberg Film Festival in Nova Scotia. It is currently streaming on TED, AMC+, and Prime Video.

“Ilon’s story is the essence of Truth Well Told, an honest, courageous expression that challenged the status quo of advertising, reshaped how women see themselves, and changed how brands speak to women,” commented Charlotte Franceries, CEO of McCann Paris. “We’re celebrating Ilon’s legacy, but we’re also helping people understand what ‘Because I’m Worth It’ really means to women all over the world.” 

 Added Javier Campopiano, global chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup and McCann, “The most powerful truths, the ones that transcend time and become universal, are also the most personal, those that come from the guts. For Ilon Specht, ‘Because I’m Worth It’ was much more than a slogan, it was her way to express her anger towards the ethos of the time, and her passion for ideas. That is the reason why those four words she coined 50 years ago have touched so many hearts and are still relevant today.”

An extraordinary array of stars has appeared in L’Oréal Paris ads, voicing those famous words written by Specht, including Oscar winners Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, and Viola Davis, as well as Eva Longoria, Andie MacDowell, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé, and Cybill Shepherd, among others.

The Final Copy of Ilon Specht marks the first collaboration between the teams at TRAVERSE32, IPG Mediabrands’ global branded production company and development studio, and Proudfoot’s Breakwater Studios. In addition to directing, Proudfoot produced the film alongside Breakwater Studios’ Kirstin Falk and Rachel Greenwald, and TRAVERSE32’s Brendan Gaul and Brett Henenberg. Daryl Lee, Global CEO McCann Worldgroup, Charlotte Franceries, President, McCann Paris, & EVP Global Business Leader, L’Oréal Paris, and Julien Calot, Chief Creative Officer, McCann Paris served as executive producers.  

Proudfoot won his first Academy Award for the 2021 short documentary The Queen of Basketball. He won his second Oscar for the 2023 nonfiction short The Last Repair Shop, co-directed with Kris Bowers. Proudfoot and Bowers were Oscar-nominated for the 2020 short doc A Concerto Is a Conversation.