Booksmart Director Olivia Wilde Joins The Coca-Cola Regal Films Program To Mentor Film Students And Help Select The Winning Film

Top Five Finalist Films Revealed March 10th in Austin, TX at Film Festival

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Mar 07, 2019, 09:28 ET

ATLANTA, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Coca-Cola Regal Films annual student filmmaking program revealed Olivia Wilde, director, actor and activist as its celebrity ambassador to mentor film students and serve on the Red Ribbon Panel to help choose the winning film to be shown across the US at Regal theatres.

The Coca-Cola Regal Films program partnered with Wilde to announce the five college and university team finalists and their films for the program. The announcement will be officially made at SXSW, where Wilde will premiere her feature film directorial debut, Booksmart.

"It's been so inspiring to meet with young talent to mentor as a filmmaker," said Olivia Wilde. "This particular group of students felt like a diverse representation of today's youth and it's encouraging to see each of those students embraced by a growing program. It's an honor to support them and be a part of their future success."

"Regal is proud to partner with Coca-Cola again to help foster the next generation of filmmakers," said Ken Thewes, Chief Marketing Officer at Regal. "Having Olivia come on board has really added to the experience for the students. They've been able to get direct coaching and insights from her on all elements of filmmaking."

Students from 30 of some of the most diverse college and university film schools across the country participated in the 2019 Coca-Cola Regal Films program and five advanced to this year's finals. The Finalists received $15,000 each to create and produce a 30-second film. In addition to funding, finalists were flown to Los Angeles for a training session and program kickoff event where they learned some tricks of the trade. They also met with Olivia Wilde to ask her advice and questions about her career. During production each finalist had access to a Regal location, RED camera equipment and Zeiss lenses free-of-charge, to produce his or her film. During Post Production they were given access to Deluxe's EFILM to master their spots with some of the industry's top colorists. The grand-prize winning film will debut at Regal theatres nationwide.

"We love how the Coca-Cola Regal Films program creates opportunities for future filmmakers to accomplish their dreams and get their stories of the movie going experience on the big screen," said Krista Schulte, SVP Coca-Cola North America Strategic Partnership Marketing. "And each year we strive to make the student experience more valuable like we did this year by partnering with Olivia Wilde."

The finalists' films will be available to watch online beginning at 12:00 a.m. on March 9 at coke.com/RegalFilms.

The five finalist films available are the following:

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV): 3 Wishes

Iliana Campisi (producer)
Nicolle Peterson (director)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): It Happened Like This

Elon Zlotnik (producer)
Nathan Nguyen-Le (director)

New York University (NYU): You Didn't Know That

Tyler Sanchez (producer)
Briggs Cooper Peery (director)

The New School: The Exchange

Jamie Rabinovitch (producer)
Thais Vitorelli (director)

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Choose Happy

Shayain Lakhani (producer)
Devon Solwold (director)

About Booksmart:
Booksmart is Olivia Wilde's feature film directorial debut which will be released nationwide by Annapurna Pictures on May 24^th. The film is an unfiltered comedy about high school friendships and the bonds we create that last a lifetime. It's told from a wildly original, fresh and modern perspective, capturing the spirit of our times, the film is a coming of age story for a new generation. Before its release, Wilde was named one of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch in 2019, and it was the first feature film to receive the Women in Film Reframe stamp. The ReFrame Stamp serves as a mark of distinction for projects that have demonstrated success in gender-balanced films.

About Regal:
Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group, operates one of the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuits in the United States, consisting of 7,210 screens in 550 theatres in 43 states along with American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam and Saipan as of February 28, 2019. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit provides its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience. We are committed to being "The Best Place to Watch a Movie! Additional information is available on Regal's website at www.REGmovies.com.

About The Coca-Cola Company:
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company's Coca-Cola brands, our portfolio includes some of the world's most valuable beverage brands, such as AdeS plant-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Costa coffee, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, innocent smoothies and juices, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater and ZICO coconut water. We're constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We're also working to reduce our environmental impact by replenishing water and promoting recycling. With our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About EFILM | Deluxe
Color artistry and groundbreaking technology come together at Deluxe's EFILM -- where the industry's top filmmakers and up-and-comers have come for three decades. Home to world-class talent and recognized with an Academy Awardfor Scientific and Technical Achievement, EFILM continually sets creative and technology standards in digital color and finishing for features, episodics and trailers. It also provides location services through custom configured technology solutions and highly skilled field technicians. Part of the Deluxe Creative group of companies, EFILM is able to provide its creative services locally in Hollywood, and via real-time, calibrated color grading sessions between EFILM and Deluxe locations anywhere in the world. www.EFILM.com

Media Contacts:
Heather Krug
PR for Coca-Cola Regal Films Program
[email protected]
310-463-1415

Richard M. Grover
Vice President of Communications
Regal
[email protected]
865-925-9539

SOURCE Regal