Advancing the Frontier of Sponsorships and Screenings

Video on demand (VOD) carves out a new mobile venue and a collaborative sponsorship opportunity for a film festival open to new ideas

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“[The in-car audience] were all very, very satisfied….it was hard work and we’re very grateful for everything that Shift72 did in helping us make [the experience] possible.”

Beatrice Karlsson, Program Director

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About Stockholm International Film Festival

Since 1990, Stockholm International Film Festival (SIFF) has been a leading player in the European festival industry, hosting over 100 film premieres from 60 countries, Face2Face screenings with filmmakers, and awards presentations over 12 days each November.
Innovation is at the heart of SIFF’s mission and the festival team continually develops new concepts to keep audiences engaged with cinema in different capacities. SIFF’s Junior program for children, Drive-In Cinema, Summer Cinema, and Secret Location Screenings, held in unconventional and surprise locations around Stockholm, keep audiences on their toes and reflect the joy and sense of celebration the festival generates.

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Opportunity for Innovative Sponsorship

In 2021, SIFF’s endless pursuit of new festival dimensions led them to a unique partnership with sponsor, Polestar, an electric car company from Sweden. With a vision to push the boundaries of screenings, the two turned to Shift72 to take the festival’s VOD platform on the road.

• Shift72 enabled SIFF’s VOD platform on the Polestar 2 Android Automotive system
• Car owners had free access to SIFF’s entire VOD program throughout the festival
• Custom routes were created for test drives, which included a SIFF film and snacks
• SIFF created the world’s first in-car film festival through a tech-forward approach

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The on-the-go VOD festival drew praise from Polestar owners and test drivers alike, paving the way for SIFF’s creative team to stretch the limits of collaborative cinema for future festivals.

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Looking Forward

Stockholm International Film Festival continues to push the boundaries of how film festivals can present engaging cinema to audiences with their upcoming 2022 event, running from 9-20 November.

In keeping with their contemporary approach, this year’s focus nation will be Ukraine, shining a spotlight on the Ukrainian film industry and its people by:

• Hosting a free screening of Gulliver Returns for Ukrainian families at JFF Junior
• Collaborating with Save the Children on a fund-raising campaign
• Welcoming the Ukrainian director of 2021’s Best Film winner, Rhino, Oleg Sentsov
• Highlighting film screenings, director visits, and seminars throughout the festival

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“Every year we do new projects and we talk to our audience and see how they want to experience films. It’s a very dynamic workplace and we have a strong team and I think we always want to do new things - it’s a very innovative work environment.”

Beatrice Karlsson, Program Director

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