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NOW STREAMING GLOBALLY - AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT
TED, IN FIRST GLOBAL FILM DISTRIBUTION DEAL, RELEASES ACCLAIMED FILM FROM TRAVERSE32 AND BREAKWATER STUDIOS
Award-Winning Film About the Trailblazing Woman Who Wrote L’Oréal Paris’s Famed “Because I’m Worth It” Slogan and Inspired a Feminist Movement is Now Streaming on TED's YouTube Channel, Amazon's Prime Video, and AMC+ timed with Women's History Month (March 2025)
Directed by Two-Time Academy Award® Winning Director Ben Proudfoot (The Last Repair Shop, The Queen of Basketball)
Watch the Full Film Now Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8jRiOpcTA
Watch the Trailer Now Here:
https://youtu.be/kuc8fAdch80?si=Wc19MZw-zzKVayLy
Directed by Two-Time Academy Award® Winning Director Ben Proudfoot (The Last Repair Shop, The Queen of Basketball)
Watch the Full Film Now Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8jRiOpcTA
Watch the Trailer Now Here:
https://youtu.be/kuc8fAdch80?si=Wc19MZw-zzKVayLy
New York, NY (March 8, 2025) – THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT, the acclaimed documentary short directed and produced by two-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, Ben Proudfoot, is being released today by TED. The historic global distribution deal marks a first for TED, becoming the first film the platform has ever distributed in its forty-year history.
The movie debuts today globally, free, on YouTube timed with Women's History Month. The film is also now streaming on two premium services: Amazon's Prime Video and AMC+ (the subscription video on demand service from AMC Networks). The news was first reported this morning by Deadline Hollywood.
Through the lens of current Oscar® winning director Ben Proudfoot comes THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT, an intimate deathbed account of the unsung advertising genius who coined L'Oréal's iconic slogan, a four-word feminist manifesto that, against all odds, changed advertising forever. Through a series of moving, and at times, comical interviews with Ilon, and her stepdaughter, Alison, viewers will get an intimate glimpse of Ilon’s extraordinary life and fiery spirit as the two women reflect upon the creative genius’s personal and professional legacies.
For over 50 years, L’Oréal Paris has been defined by its iconic tagline, “Because I’m Worth It,” with its bold statement of female empowerment. Crafted amidst the gender and cultural shifts of the early 1970s, the phrase was written by a brilliant but little-known female copywriter at McCann named Ilon Specht, then one of only a few women in advertising ‘allowed’ to write copy. At a time when women were to be seen and not heard and men dictated a woman’s worth, Ilon rebelled - defiantly penning a love letter to the women of the world. “Because I’m Worth It’ proved cataclysmic. It produced a beauty revolution and ushered in a new era of feminism, the impacts of which continue to this day.
As a platform that posits ‘Ideas Change Everything’, TED believes that ideas have the power to move us to feel, think, and act differently. In recent years, TED has launched a number of new initiatives that expand its reach beyond just TED talks – and collectively, the brand now reflects a trusted and powerful catalog of human wisdom, expressed across a number of powerful mediums.
“TED has long been dedicated to amplifying ideas that foster conversation and inspire meaningful change, and we’re committed to doing that in new formats that go beyond the TED stage,” said Jay Herratti, CEO and Executive Director of TED. “We’re excited to explore new documentary storytelling further and are honored to be working with Ben Proudfoot to bring THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT, a film about the bold power of an idea, to our community and the world.”
THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT is a collaboration from the award-winning teams at TRAVERSE32 (5B, Dear Santa), IPG Mediabrands' global branded entertainment production company and development studio, and Proudfoot’s BREAKWATER STUDIOS. Proudfoot directed and produced the film alongside Breakwater Studios’ Rachel Greenwald and Kirstin Falk, and TRAVERSE32’s Brendan Gaul and Brett Henenberg. McCann’s Daryl Lee, Charlotte Franceries, and Julien Calot serve as executive producers.
“Ilon was a creative force whose powerful words reshaped the world. Collaborating with her to tell her story--as she wanted it to be told—was truly an honor. Her message remains as powerful today as it was when she first wrote the groundbreaking phrase. She said it because she fundamentally believed that women should believe in their worth,” said Greenwald.
Since its global premiere at Tribeca X in June 2024, THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT has garnered widespread acclaim, earning Best Short Documentary at HollyShorts Film Festival, Best Short Documentary and the Best Atlantic Filmmaker Award at Lunenberg Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at the Chelsea Film Festival, Best Short Film at Hot Springs Documentary Festival, and more.
“Ilon was a woman of many firsts. She was the first creative to have the courage to insist that a woman’s ‘worth’ was hers alone to define. She also spearheaded the first commercial in which a woman looked straight into camera and declared the arrival of gender equality. It is exceptionally fitting that Ilon should make history once again through this first-of-its-kind film distribution deal. We are thrilled to now have the opportunity to partner with Jay and the team at TED to bring Ilon’s story to audiences around the world”, added Gaul.
The historic nature of this partnership is a testament to Ilon’s enduring influence and the increasing significance documentary shorts are having in mainstream entertainment. The groundbreaking relationship with TED marks another step by Breakwater’s leadership in successfully bringing short documentaries to new audiences, platforms and heights, having previously won the first Academy Awards for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT is now available to view globally, free, on YouTube. It is also streaming on Amazon's Prime Video and AMC+.
The movie debuts today globally, free, on YouTube timed with Women's History Month. The film is also now streaming on two premium services: Amazon's Prime Video and AMC+ (the subscription video on demand service from AMC Networks). The news was first reported this morning by Deadline Hollywood.
Through the lens of current Oscar® winning director Ben Proudfoot comes THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT, an intimate deathbed account of the unsung advertising genius who coined L'Oréal's iconic slogan, a four-word feminist manifesto that, against all odds, changed advertising forever. Through a series of moving, and at times, comical interviews with Ilon, and her stepdaughter, Alison, viewers will get an intimate glimpse of Ilon’s extraordinary life and fiery spirit as the two women reflect upon the creative genius’s personal and professional legacies.
For over 50 years, L’Oréal Paris has been defined by its iconic tagline, “Because I’m Worth It,” with its bold statement of female empowerment. Crafted amidst the gender and cultural shifts of the early 1970s, the phrase was written by a brilliant but little-known female copywriter at McCann named Ilon Specht, then one of only a few women in advertising ‘allowed’ to write copy. At a time when women were to be seen and not heard and men dictated a woman’s worth, Ilon rebelled - defiantly penning a love letter to the women of the world. “Because I’m Worth It’ proved cataclysmic. It produced a beauty revolution and ushered in a new era of feminism, the impacts of which continue to this day.
As a platform that posits ‘Ideas Change Everything’, TED believes that ideas have the power to move us to feel, think, and act differently. In recent years, TED has launched a number of new initiatives that expand its reach beyond just TED talks – and collectively, the brand now reflects a trusted and powerful catalog of human wisdom, expressed across a number of powerful mediums.
“TED has long been dedicated to amplifying ideas that foster conversation and inspire meaningful change, and we’re committed to doing that in new formats that go beyond the TED stage,” said Jay Herratti, CEO and Executive Director of TED. “We’re excited to explore new documentary storytelling further and are honored to be working with Ben Proudfoot to bring THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT, a film about the bold power of an idea, to our community and the world.”
THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT is a collaboration from the award-winning teams at TRAVERSE32 (5B, Dear Santa), IPG Mediabrands' global branded entertainment production company and development studio, and Proudfoot’s BREAKWATER STUDIOS. Proudfoot directed and produced the film alongside Breakwater Studios’ Rachel Greenwald and Kirstin Falk, and TRAVERSE32’s Brendan Gaul and Brett Henenberg. McCann’s Daryl Lee, Charlotte Franceries, and Julien Calot serve as executive producers.
“Ilon was a creative force whose powerful words reshaped the world. Collaborating with her to tell her story--as she wanted it to be told—was truly an honor. Her message remains as powerful today as it was when she first wrote the groundbreaking phrase. She said it because she fundamentally believed that women should believe in their worth,” said Greenwald.
Since its global premiere at Tribeca X in June 2024, THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT has garnered widespread acclaim, earning Best Short Documentary at HollyShorts Film Festival, Best Short Documentary and the Best Atlantic Filmmaker Award at Lunenberg Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at the Chelsea Film Festival, Best Short Film at Hot Springs Documentary Festival, and more.
“Ilon was a woman of many firsts. She was the first creative to have the courage to insist that a woman’s ‘worth’ was hers alone to define. She also spearheaded the first commercial in which a woman looked straight into camera and declared the arrival of gender equality. It is exceptionally fitting that Ilon should make history once again through this first-of-its-kind film distribution deal. We are thrilled to now have the opportunity to partner with Jay and the team at TED to bring Ilon’s story to audiences around the world”, added Gaul.
The historic nature of this partnership is a testament to Ilon’s enduring influence and the increasing significance documentary shorts are having in mainstream entertainment. The groundbreaking relationship with TED marks another step by Breakwater’s leadership in successfully bringing short documentaries to new audiences, platforms and heights, having previously won the first Academy Awards for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT is now available to view globally, free, on YouTube. It is also streaming on Amazon's Prime Video and AMC+.
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