Absolut Vodka and Stella Artois Sponsor NHFF

New Hampshire Film Festival organizers have announced two more internationally known brands as sponsors. Absolut Vodka and Stella Artois will officially support NHFF, joining major underwriter Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

The lineup of national advertisers allows the indie film fest to expand its networking and social events Oct. 14 – 17 in downtown Portsmouth. Among the new events will be a Stella Artois Beer Tent on Sat., 1 – 4 p.m. on the Portsmouth waterfront at One Harbour Place that will feature Stella Artois beer as well as New England-themed food. Kate Parker Weddings will provide decor for a VIP area at the event which will also feature a wine tasting from Francis Ford Coppola Winery in the VIP section.

“Stella Artois is proud to support the local and regional arts community via our partnership with The NH Film Festival,” said Tyler Kelly, VP of Marketing for New Hampshire Distributors, Inc.  “We believe NHFF fans will love the new Stella Artois beer experience tent and wish the NHFF continued success.”

For the first time, NHFF will also add a new VIP Filmmakers Brunch on Sunday at the One Hundred Club in Portsmouth. Other parties include the Flatbread Co. NH Night Party on Thurs., the Absolut Vodka Party at the Gas Light Third Floor Night Club on Friday, and the Signature NHFF Francis Ford Coppola Winery Party on Saturday at Pesce Blue.

“Absolut Vodka is proud to be part of the tenth annual New Hampshire Film Festival and to partner with the local arts community at the same time,” said Ryan DeVecchio, the manager of the Absolut portfolio for Southern Wine and Spirits of New England. “This will be a great event for the public to attend and with the rising growth of the Film Festival, now is a better time than ever to get involved.”

With more than 9,000 attendees and more than 700 film entries, the NH Film Festival has grown into a major player on the Northeast’s independent film fest circuit. The four-day fest includes workshops and panel discussions, showings of more than 80 films at four screening venues, and a bevy of after-parties.

“We sincerely appreciate the support and involvement of Absolut Vodka and Stella Artois in the NH Film Festival,” said NHFF Executive Director Nicole Gregg. “To have such a well-respected brands sponsoring NHFF is validation of our hard work and perseverance to provide a world-class film festival. And it’s going to take our after-parties and special events to a whole new level.”

The new Absolut and Stella sponsorships are the latest in a string of successes for NHFF, including the Francis Ford Coppola Winery sponsorship, the launch of a new website, and the addition of actress Rae Dawn Chong to the NHFF Board of Directors. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for NHFF 2010. To take advantage of this unique chance to advertise in one of NH’s premier cultural events, contact Nicole Gregg, nicole@nhfilmfestival.com or 603.647.6439.

About Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is one of the world’s best selling premium spirits brands and achieved sales of 10.7 million nine-liter cases in 2007 (96.6 millions of liters). Some 500,000 bottles of ABSOLUT VODKA are produced every day. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka is produced in Åhus, in southern Sweden.

About Stella Artois
Stella Artois traces its origin back to 1366 to the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium, just outside of Brussels. The beer was originally brewed to celebrate Christmas, and it was named Stella (Latin for “star”) for its exceptional clarity. Stella Artois has long been associated with film, including organizing and sponsoring film and television events. Stella Artois has been a primary sponsor of the film festivals of Cannes, Melbourne, and Sundance.

Download logos: Stella_Absolut
Media Contacts: Nicole Gregg 603.647.6439 | Nicole@NHFilmFestival.com
Brian DeKoning 603.766.1902 | Brian@NHFilmFestival.com