Story of Romance and Recycling Captures Hearts of Judges to Win 2010 Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award
Prestigious Award for Student Filmmakers to be Presented to Andy Landen and Alice Mathias at ShoWest Final Night Banquet and Awards Ceremony
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Andy Landen and Alice Mathias, graduate students from the University of Southern California School (USC) of Cinematic Arts, have won the 2009-2010 Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award for their short film entitled, "Message in a Bottle," about a romance born from a recycling project. Landen and Mathias will be presented with their award on March 18 at the star-studded ShoWest Final Night Banquet and Awards Ceremony.
The filmmaking duo will receive $10,000 and will have their film featured on over 21,000 movie screens across the nation this Fall as part of Coca-Cola's pre-feature programming.
"The Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award competition brings out the best of the best in young filmmaking," said Stefanie Miller, Vice President, Strategic Alliances, Coca-Cola North America. "The judges selected Andy and Alice's film because they cleverly featured a fun connection between Coca-Cola and the movies. And it was an added bonus that they also used their film to communicate an important message about living positively through recycling."
Entrants to the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award competition created short films featuring Coca-Cola as a refreshing part of the movie going experience. Ten finalists were chosen and each received a $7,500 grant to use toward producing their 50-second spot in 10 weeks.
"We felt privileged to be empowered with such a substantial budget and wanted to use this opportunity to voice something that is incredibly important to our generation," said Mathias. "Working with Coca-Cola, a company that we know and trust, motivated us to give it our all."
"Message in a Bottle," directed by Landen and produced by Mathias, depicts a light-hearted romance of how love develops through the simple act of recycling. Each day after school through rain and shine, a young man stops by the recycling depot to exchange one empty Coca-Cola bottle for a nickel. In the process, he develops a growing interest for the cute girl working at the counter. Embarking on a creative plan to ask her on a date to the movies, he one day delivers a Coca-Cola bottle with the special message inside.
"The Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award supports aspiring student filmmakers by allowing them to experience the world of professional filmmaking and showcase their work to leaders in the entertainment industry," continued Miller.
The Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award has been presented by Coca-Cola each year since 1998. The winner is selected by the Red Ribbon Panel, a group of entertainment industry experts including actors, writers and directors from major movie studios. The panel chose Landen's and Mathias' film from student entries representing 13 prestigious film programs in the U.S. Participating schools include New York University, Columbia University, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, North Carolina School of the Arts, Florida State University, Northwestern, University, University of Texas at Austin, California State at Long Beach, University of Colorado at Denver, Chapman University, Brigham Young University and Savannah College of Art and Design. Short films from the other 2009-2010 top 10 contest finalists can be viewed at www.ccrfa.com.
Landen is originally from Ontario, Canada. He grew up making videos of his younger brother skateboarding. So when his brother became a professional skateboarder, Andy, not wanting to be upstaged, moved to Los Angeles to become a professional filmmaker. He has made several short documentaries, including the award-winning skateboard documentary Amateur, which played at film festivals around world. He has also directed a number of short films, music videos, and commercials. Andy is currently pursuing his MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California with a focus in writing and directing. He most recently finished post-production on his first independent feature, Carried in the Whale.
Mathias, originally from Chicago, IL, graduated from Dartmouth College, where she majored in English with an emphasis on creative writing. Alice is currently an MFA candidate in Production at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. She has produced two documentaries, six music videos, and a handful of fiction films. As a writer, Alice has been an occasional contributor of op-eds and blogs to The New York Times and aspires one day to write for comedy film and television. Along with her four younger siblings and their best pal, she is a partner in a Chicago-based production company, (Three One Two) Productions. Together, they write scripts, make movies, and produce music/music videos for indie rock band, Filligar.
About ShoWest
Celebrating its 35th year, ShoWest is the world's largest motion picture theater industry convention. The 2010 edition of ShoWest will be held from March 15-18 at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas, and at this time it is expected that more than 5,000 members of the industry will be on hand. Each year, ShoWest attracts delegates from more than 45 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Asia/Pacific region. ShoWest was founded by the National Association of Theatre Owners of California and Nevada, and the 2001 show was the first managed by Sunshine Group Worldwide, a division of VNU Expositions Film Group.
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. Together with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 14 billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released March 16, 2010