• by Larissa Faw , March 4, 2014

Aspiring filmmakers now have a unique way to make an impact at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF). Heineken and creative agency Wieden+Kennedy have introduced #15secondpremiere, a new social call-to-action that encourages people to submit their film concepts via Twitter. And one winner will see his or her film screened at the festival. 

From now until Friday, March 7, TFF's Official Beer Sponsor is accepting film pitches via Twitter using #15secondpremiere. Then, Heineken will select one to produce as a 15-second short to premiere at a private event at the film festival.

"#15secondpremiere is a new social call-to-action that bridges the routine and comfortable behavior of tweeting with the exciting possibility of an unforgettable offline experience at Tribeca Film Festival," says Pattie Falch, Brand Director, Heineken Sponsorships and Events.

"But if you pitch, you’d better be prepared!” cautions Falch. “The winner will be thrust into the limelight at Tribeca Film Festival to serve as the face of the film, introducing the movie before industry influencers and media, and fielding questions from the audience after seeing the end result of their 140 character screenplay for the very first time." 

This is the sixth year Heineken has sponsored the film festival, but the first year its involvement has evolved to integrate the traditional event sponsorship with a unique consumer engagement.

In addition, Heineken's Facebook and Twitter accounts will support both the film festival and promotion. Still, Heineken has no plans to evolve this particular campaign beyond Tribeca. However, over the next few months, the brand will launch additional campaigns all aimed at supporting the “Men of the World” campaign internationally.

"As a brand, we are always looking for unique moments of tension to push 'Men of the World' outside their comfort zones," says Falch.