Volvo Cars of North America Sponsors National Youth Film Festival

Volvo Cars of North America Sponsors National Youth Film Festival

Volvo Commits Support to Major Emerging Talent

SEATTLE, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Volvo Cars of North America (VCNA) announces sponsorship of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). The festival, in its second year, will screen over 70 films produced by young people from across the country. NFFTY will also feature filmmaking panels, workshops, music and other events all dedicated to the advancement of young artists and their work. The festival will be held March 28-30 at the new digital SIFF Cinema and Experience Music Project in Seattle, WA. Volvo will be a presenting sponsor of the 2008 festival as well as the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of Opening Night.

"Volvo's recently introduced C30 is a new segment for us and this type of relationship is exciting," says Gregor Hembrough, VCNA Sales & Marketing Manager for the region. "The 'freewill' persona of the C30 fits right in with this audience and as for the brand exposure, nurturing the creative spirit is very Volvo."

With the release of the all-new C30, Volvo is finding a younger market with today's hip and talented. One such youth is the festival's co-founder and executive director, Jesse Harris, "The C30 is a very unique car -- sporty, practical, and fun. I think my generation's perception of Volvo is changing. Once they see this car, they are amazed."

Jesse Harris first came to the attention of Volvo during a Los Angeles-based radio promotion last fall, in which listeners were asked to create their own commercial based on their emotions and appeal. Although Harris' pitch did not take the top spot -- finishing second -- the impactful imagery of his work captured Volvo's imagination.

NFFTY and Volvo also have something else in common. In addition to a film showcase, the festival's NFFTY EARTH campaign is taking major strides to reduce its carbon footprint on the earth. There will be special recognition for productions with environmental messages that create further awareness of our social responsibility. "NFFTY is more than a film festival, it's an entire youth and art movement," Volvo's Hembrough said. "Volvo is more than a car company, not only is protecting our passengers our top priority, but we are also committed to protecting the environment and the ones who live in it."

About Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA), based in Irvine, Calif., is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation of Goteborg, Sweden. VCNA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, and oversees Volvo operations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. To see more: http://www.volvocars.us/

About NFFTY

The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), pronounced "nifty", was formed in 2007 with the goal of becoming the largest and most influential film festival and support organization in America for young filmmakers 21 and younger. NFFTY's parent organization is The Talented Youth, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. To see more: http://www.nffty.org/

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Source: Volvo Cars of North America

CONTACT: Stephen R Bohannon of Volvo Cars of North America,
+1-949-341-6718, sbohanno@volvocars.com; or Todd Girouard of National Film
Festival for Talented Youth, +1-206-428-3074, ext. 701, info@nffty.org

Web site: http://www.volvocars.us/
http://www.nffty.org/

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Profile: International Entertainment