Stella Artois, TriggerStreet.com, Actor Kevin Spacey Announce Stella Artois Short Film Project

Stella Artois, TriggerStreet.com, Actor Kevin Spacey Announce Stella Artois Short Film Project

Project Will Provide $50,000 Cash to Independent Filmmaker; Entries to be Submitted and Judged Through TriggerStreet.com

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Stella Artois, film networking site TriggerStreet.com and award-winning actor Kevin Spacey announced today a new award program designed to help independent filmmakers. The program, called the Stella Artois Short Film Project, will provide a $50,000 cash award to one lucky filmmaker who submits an entry to TriggerStreet.com. The film, which must be no longer than 10 minutes, will be judged by the TriggerStreet.com community as well as a panel of high-level actors, directors and producers. The first winner will be unveiled and his/her short film premiered later this year.

"Anyone who's been close to Hollywood knows that it is difficult to get started in this business," said Spacey, who founded TriggerStreet.com with producer Dana Brunetti in 2002 and will be available for interviews at 5 p.m. today in the Stella Artois Cutting Room at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

"I'm a big believer in sending the elevator back down once you've achieved some success. That's why I'm so excited to have Stella Artois as a sponsor on this program. It's designed to help those who are trying to get a start in the film industry," Spacey said.

A long-time supporter of the independent film industry through sponsorships of events such as the Sundance Film Festival, CineVegas and the American Film Institute (AFI) awards, Stella Artois decided to "put our money to even better use," said David Daniels, product manager for Belgian Brands at Anheuser-Busch.

"We wanted to do more than just sponsor film events - we wanted to give back to those in the film industry who have been incredibly supportive of the Stella Artois brand," Daniels said.

The Stella Artois Short Film Project is open to any independent filmmaker in the United States. Entries can be submitted to TriggerStreet.com starting Monday, Jan. 26. Ten finalists will be selected; the winner will be unveiled later this year. The winning film will be considered for exposure at various independent film festivals throughout the year. For complete rules and submission requirements, visit www.triggerstreet.com.

TriggerStreet.com was founded in 2002 by award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and producer Dana Brunetti as an interactive space for filmmakers, writers and others seeking a place within the entertainment industry. TriggerStreet.com provides a democratic environment and avenue of communication between Hollywood and emerging talent everywhere, helping them overcome the barriers they so often encounter. TriggerStreet.com is involved with film festivals such as the Tribeca Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival and others. The site can be found at www.triggerstreet.com.

Stella Artois traces its origin back to 1366 to a brewery called Den Hoorn, located in Leuven, a town just outside of Brussels. In 1717, master brewer Sebastian Artois purchased the brewery and renamed it to his namesake. The Artois Brewery created a special brew to celebrate Christmas and named it Stella (Latin for star) for its exceptional clarity. Today, Stella Artois is the gold standard for Belgian lagers with its distinctive flavor and spicy hop character.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country's best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world's largest recyclers of aluminum cans. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Anheuser-Busch

CONTACT: Stacey Thomson of Anheuser-Busch, +1-314-223-1613,
stacey.thomson@anheuser-busch.com; or Cragin Brown, +1-518-796-9533,
CBrown@StrategicGroup.tv, for Anheuser-Busch

Web Site: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/
http://www.triggerstreet.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment