There’s Nothing Soft about It! Sprite Films™ Debuts Short Films Created by Aspiring Filmmakers

Featured in New Campaign, Celebrity Mentor Tyrese Gibson Invites America to Vote for Their Favorite Short Film at Sprite.com

Emerging College Filmmakers Compete for Theatrical Release of Short Films

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- It’s time for a curtain call! The next generation of intensely talented filmmakers is making its nationwide debut with the release of short films created and produced by six teams of young filmmakers as part of the Sprite Films™ program. Sprite Films celebrity mentor, Tyrese Gibson, stars in a 30-second pre-feature cinema spot encouraging people to go to Sprite.com and vote for their favorite film.

Student filmmakers from colleges and universities across the United States competed by submitting the most intense scripts to be judged for the Green Ribbon Panel Award or the Consumer’s Choice winning film. The winning short film(s) and the talented filmmaker/s behind the films will be announced on September 5.

“The Sprite Films program selects promising young filmmakers with strong imagination and determination to create a short film, and each year we’re impressed to see how the students have raised the bar in creativity,” said Karen Oettl, brand manager for Sprite. “Sprite is giving these emerging filmmakers the opportunity to share their talent with America and to get in front of some of the industry’s leading filmmakers.”

Green Ribbon Panel Award

The Green Ribbon panel of renowned film industry professionals will select one winning film for a first place award. The winning filmmaker/s selected by the Green Ribbon panel will have their short film shown in select theaters this November.

Consumer’s Choice Award

From now through August 31, America can view the six original shorts at Sprite.com and vote for their favorite film every day during the voting phase. With each vote, people will be entered into the sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Universal Orlando Resort for four – with hotel, airfare and park tickets included. America’s votes will be tallied to determine the winning film of the Consumer’s Choice Award. The winning filmmaker/s will enjoy a celebratory trip to Universal Studios Orlando to see their film premiere at a screening on the property.

The Filmmakers

This diverse group of filmmakers now has the opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage with the release of six short films:

• “Lord Olivier”, Qayoe Jones, Savannah College of Art and Design
• “Love Refreshed”, Sandy Stenzel and Josephine Green, University of California, Los Angeles
• “Message in a Bottle”, Sean Tien, Florida State University
• “Prom Night”, Simon Savelyev and Steven Huffaker, University of California, Los Angeles
• “Rocketeers”, Jay (Jerry) Light, Elon University
• “Wild at Heart”, John Wikstrom, Florida State University

As part of this year’s Sprite Films program, the finalists also had the opportunity to attend CinemaCon - the gathering of the motion picture theatre industry in Las Vegas - where they met their mentor, actor Tyrese Gibson. Finalists also attended workshops sponsored by Universal Pictures, which marks its 100^th anniversary in 2012 and whose rich film history served as inspiration for the filmmakers’ scripts. The finalists also met with some of Hollywood’s biggest actors and directors at the workshops before beginning production of their own short films.

"The Sprite Films program offered these incredible, young filmmakers an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring their scripts to the screen for America to see," said actor/musician, Tyrese Gibson. "Spending time with the finalists gave me the chance to experience their creative minds firsthand, and I can't wait to see where their individual film careers take them. The talent is intense with this group of gifted filmmakers and I can see them going far in this industry - maybe I'll star in one of their first studio projects!"

The History of Sprite Films

The Sprite Films program was formerly the Coca-Cola® Refreshing Filmmaker’s™ Award, which was presented annually by Coca-Cola beginning in 1998. The program will now continue through the Sprite brand and will engage youth nationwide with real-life challenging opportunities to leverage their talents, ignite fresh thinking and realize their potential for greatness behind the camera and beyond.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke®, Fanta®, Sprite®, Coca-Cola Zero™, vitaminwater®, Powerade®, Minute Maid®, Simply®, Georgia® and Del Valle®. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CocaColaCo.

The Coca-Cola Company
Kerry Tressler, 404-676-3676
ketressler@coca-cola.com
or
Rogers & Cowan
Tara Moore
tmoore@rogersandcowan.com

Source: The Coca-Cola Company

Released August 9, 2012