THE CONCEPT
The Night of the Ad Eaters: a kooky culture clash!
For one night, let yourself be overwhelmed by a tsunami of commercials from the most remote corners of the planet; deliriously creative, aesthetic, exotic, moving, sometimes very kitsch, and especially funny!
Created by Jean Marie Boursicot 44 years ago, The Night of the AdEaters has become the unmissable event for lovers of advertising cinema all over the world and on all 5 continents. Forget the commercial side of advertising, all too often aggressive, repetitive or intrusive… The Night of the AdEaters is all about the fun, fanfare, and great mini-films!
Advertising, it’s #magic!
Open wide your eyes and ears, open yourself to the world, and come celebrate the best – and a little bit of the worst – creative advertising from around the globe. It’s a night dedicated to loudly and proudly expressing our opinions about the spots selected. Let yourself go as they do in Moscow, Madagascar or Tahiti!
At The Night of the AdEaters we laugh out loud, we shout, we applaud, we whistle, we might even cry. The Night of the AdEaters has, since its humble beginnings, been an extraordinary UFO walking a tightrope between advertising and show. It’s a concept so far unclassifiable- and kudos for that, especially on a planet always more and more ground down by the ordinary served with a side of mundane!
For those who have yet to discover The Night of the AdEaters, it’s rather like an all-night commercial film made by truly passionate advertising and film lovers who have added their own spice to the mix by adding patience, plus a whole lot of love. Put aside some of your pre-conceived ideas about advertising: we have been proving for more than 40 years that ads can continue to bequeath us with their serendipitous ability to offer great moments of cinema: action, suspense, tons of exoticism, twists, turns, a bit of melancholy, a touch of romance, but above all a lot of humor in the first, second and all the way up to the tippy top of the nth degree!
The Night of the Ad Eaters is the #spectacle.
The Night of the AdEaters show can be modified according to what the host cities crave and their audience’s particular preferences. They can contain wacky animations for the opening of the program, as well as games and goodies at intermissions. In Paris at the Grand Rex, whistles and other signs of enthusiasm punctuated the oh- so awestruck reactions of the public, while countless balloons, assembled by tens, bounced from row to row, between exclamations of “ha! as they bopped their way around the room! We sometimes sing along to familiar tunes, clap our hands for almost anything, or launch paper planes … In Mexico as in Brussels we could come disguised as superheroes or in our pajamas, while in Moscow it might be evening dress … everything is allowed and eccentricity is always welcome! In short, as a famous brand says so well: “come as you are”!
Warning: the Night could cause mass thunderous applause and cheering.
Newest ads, uncensored ads, best ads, international ads, exotic ads, unusual ads, historic ads (since 1898 to present), cultural and political parodies, banned ads, 18+ ads (for tobacco, drinks, condoms, lingerie, gambling), ads, ads, ads… No censorship is involved…
From the #sharing and #surprises to the entracts.
Gifts and samples for the spectators have been part of the “AdEater Culture” since the very beginning of the adventure. Every year and depending on the country, our partners offer you drinks, snacks, ice cream, candy… as well as a slew of surprises to make sure your night is even more tantalizing…
THE PROGRAM
As every year, the Master Chef of Advertising, Jean-Marie Boursicot, invites you to a real advertising feast!
The 44th Night of the Ad Eaters is packed with action, tons of laundry, adrenaline, deodorant, suspense, shampoo, stars, emotions, fruits and vegetables, love at first sight turning into domestic squabbles, singing animals, and humor of all kinds.
On the menu, nearly 400 commercials from yesterday and today, unearthed from the four corners of the world and carefully selected from nearly 20,000 spots, are skillfully orchestrated to follow and clash. Always surprising, often funny, quirky, kitschy, sometimes sad or deliciously shocking and divisive, distressing, devilishly sexy… or not, these commercials all share the power to tell stories that evoke strong emotions. You’ll see, advertisements often offer great moments of cinema.
The latest ad campaigns from the most remote corners of the planet.
The most creative, funny, exotic, and aesthetic ads, but also a tiny bit of the “worst” in international advertising!
Flashback to ads from the 80s to the 2000s.
Quirky, cheeky, sexy, uninhibited, with messages that would shock today!
A nod to Japanese advertising.
It’s aesthetic, colorful, festive, crazy, and even if you don’t understand a word, it’s a treat.
Times change, so does advertising.
They were right for their time, but today some these ads would be considered sexist, degrading to women, racist, or totally stupid…
And of course, a few treasures from our Cinematheque.
Phew! The ads won’t be interrupted by a feature film!
WOLDWIDE TOUR
Why not bring this crazy concept to your country?🙂
Please note that we do not grant any license through intermediaries. If you have been approached by a producer claiming to be our representative, please contact us.
| 26.4.2025 | IVORY COAST | ABIDJAN | Majestic Ivoire |
| 10.05.2025 | CANADA | MONTREAL | Place des Arts |
| 12.06.2025 | FRANCE | LYON | |
| 21.11.2025 | CROATIA | ZAGREB | |
| 28.11.2025 | SERBIA | BELGRADE | MTS Dvorana |
| Autumn 2025 | AUSTRALIA | SYDNEY | |
| TBD – 2025 | ITALY | SALERNO | |
| TBD – 2025 | ROMANIA | BUCHAREST | |
| TBD – 2025 | ROMANIA | CLUJ | |
| TBD – 2025 | ROMANIA | IASI | |
| TBD – 2025 | CHILE | SANTIAGO | |
| TBD – 2025 | ALGERIA | ALGIERS | |
| TBD – 2025 | IVORY COAST | ABIDJAN | |
| TBD – 2025 | CZECH REPUBLIC | PRAGUE | |
| TBD – 2024 | FRANCE | NANTES | |
| TBD – 2024 | RUSSIA | MOSCOU |
THE CINEMATHEQUE
The biggest and oldest film library in the world dedicated to TV and cinema commercials.
Jean Marie Boursicot, creator of the concept, defines the spirit of this event, whose success has continued unabated for more than 40 years : “The Night of the AdEaters is above all about sharing”.
Fascinated by the cinema since his childhood, Jean Marie Boursicot spent much of his early years haunting the movie theaters of Marseille, France. One Christmas Eve, his parents gave him a small projector as a gift. The projectionist noticing his continued presence, sympathizes with him and regularly provides him with bits of advertising film. Hence the beginning of a collection was born. Jean Marie wanted to enlarge his collection, and therefore took to the dustbins of film distributors, which, giving no value to commercials, would systematically get rid of them after use. Jean Marie’s archive grew rapidly.
Inspired by the fact that no one was keeping old commercials – neither the advertisers nor the agencies, nor the producers -, he decided to found the first advertising film library in the world.
At first, Jean Marie Boursicot only intended his cinematheque to serve as a resource for students of advertising, so he mainly approached business schools and professional training organizations. Well-received by the advertising community and supported by the major agencies, the Jean Marie Boursicot Cinematheque gradually expanded its activities. Jean Marie nevertheless soon realized that without public or private subsidies, he would have to find new financial resources to ensure the preservation of advertising archives and guarantee the Cinematheque’s survival and independence.
In 1981, he created the first “Night of the AdEaters”, called “Treats” with two objectives: to share his passion and to raise the funds necessary for the maintenance and restoration of old films. The “Night of the AdEaters” is born, and becomes both publicity and entertainment.
In short, the “Night of the AdEaters” became advertising and advertising became the show. The cinema-crazy little boy had become the “guardian of the temple” and the “memory” of the ephemeral world of fashion and creativity. The “Jean Marie Boursicot Cinematheque” is the first living museum of this particular sector of advertising films.
Statistics
More than 1 million films from 1898 to nowadays, 80 countries. 750 correspondents across the world, 10,000 to 20,000 new films a year.
General philosophy
To make the Cinematheque, which receives no subsidies, thrive while enriching its contents.
Partnership with TV stations
Broadcasting of the Night of the Ad Eaters (Rai 3, Canal +, France 2, TF1, TSR, RTBF).
Various retrospectives
Illustrations of TV broadcasts, telefilms and feature films. Sale of turnkey shows (MCM, COMEDIE, PARIS PREMIERE, PRO TV Romania, QUATRE SAISONS Quebec, BERLUSCONI Group, TV AZTECA Mexico).
Video publishing
The Cinematheque produces numerous thematic compilations and documentaries about advertising, with numerous distributors (FOX PATHE EUROPA, POLYGRAM, STUDIOCANAL, UNIVERSAL).
Use by institutions
The Cinematheque regularly collaborates with Paris’s Pompidou Center, the Cité des Sciences and other museums and institutions, with permanent or temporary exhibits. In early 2003, the Vienna Technology Museum (Technisches Museum Wien) opened a space dedicated to the Jean Marie Boursicot Cinematheque and the history of film advertisements.
Educational activities
The Cinematheque collaborates with numerous publishers of academic works, including, notably, HACHETTE EDUCATION. Jean Marie Boursicot gives numerous lectures in schools and universities in France and abroad.
Picture Research
Most of the world’s advertising agencies approach the Cinematheque regularly to obtain historic, thematic or sector-based film footage.
✩ ✩ ✩
The Technological Evolution of Filmmaking and Communication since 1898… Some treasures from our Cinematheque:
The world’s first commercial — for SUNLIGHT soap — was made by Louis and Auguste Lumiere in 1898, two French brothers who developed a camera-projector called the Cinematographe.
An amazing cartoon made by Walter Lantz in 1948 for Coca-Cola…
World famous directors:
Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Bakhtigar Khoudoynazarov, Giuseppe Tornatore, Emir Kusturica, Roman Polanski, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, Joel & Ethan Cohen, Zefirelli, Fellini, Woody Allen, Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Luigi Comencini, Dario Argento, Hugh Hudson, Luc Besson, Nikita Michalkov, etc…
Movie, music and sports stars in ads:
Charles Chaplin (1917), Ziyi Zhang, Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Yul Brynner, Jean Reno, George Clooney, Sharon Stone, Harrison Ford, Jackie Chan, Val Kilmer, Catherine Deneuve, John Travolta, Omar Sharif, Gong Li, Clive Owen, Gerard Depardieu, Hugh Laurie, Uma Thurman, Richard Gere, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melanie Griffith, Dustin Hoffman, Mickey Rooney, Tommy Tune, Paul Newman, Monica Bellucci, Jack Black, Madonna, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Raquel Welch, Salvador Dali, Justin Bieber, Ronaldo, Tony Parker, Novak Djokovic, Mike Tyson, Usain Bolt, Zidane…
OUR PARTNERS
A BIG Thank You to all our great sponsors and supporters all around the world who make it possible for us to preserve our Cinematheque through The Night of the Ad Eaters®.
The Night of the Ad Eaters is supported by numerous organizations depending on the country where it is produced. Our sponsors and partners are food brands, car brands, luxury brands, banks, hotels, airline companies, but also small local businesses that offer samples and gifts to our faithful spectators. Feel free to contact us for more information.
With special thanks to:
Romain Greco, Publivoros Mexico
www.publivoros.com.mx
We are proud and grateful for over 4 decades of support from the French advertising, communication and entertainment industries. Without them, neither our film collection nor The Night of the Ad Eaters would exist.
