Hilton Worldwide Announces Program with Sundance Institute

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) McLean, VA – December 16, 2011 – Hilton Worldwide announced today new support for Sundance Institute, a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences in film and theater. Hilton HHonors, the loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct brands, and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, a part of the Hilton Worldwide luxury portfolio, have been named the official hotel sponsors of the Sundance Film Festival through 2014. In addition, in partnership with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP), the company will launch the Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Fund & Award. LightStay is Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary system for sustainability performance and a core foundation of the company’s global sustainability strategy. The fund and award will go towards supporting the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, as well as annually recognizing and awarding grants to up to five documentary film projects focusing on sustainability issues.

"LightStay represents Hilton Worldwide's overarching commitment to integrating sustainability into every guest experience, which is critical to the long term success of our business.  LightStay has allowed us to mandate measurement and drive performance across our entire portfolio of hotels,"  said Paul Brown, president, brands and commercial services, Hilton Worldwide. “Our partnership with the Sundance Institute expands our focus beyond measurement, leveraging the medium of film as a powerful tool to create awareness, elevate dialogue, and inspire solutions around the challenges of living in a resource constrained world.”   Entries for the Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Fund & Award will be judged from up to 1,500 feature film submissions received through the Sundance Institute DFP’s bi-annual call for proposals, as well as from the more than 5,000 short film entries received for the Sundance Film Festival. The focus for selection will center on those films which best showcase the issues, interconnections, challenges and opportunities around sustainability and resource challenges in a global context. Awardees will be announced at the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.  The awards include:

• One $25,000 grant to a feature-length project that is still in production, providing invaluable momentum and support at a critical time in the filmmaker process.

• One $25,000 award for a completed feature-length film to support creative marketing and audience-building efforts for the filmmakers.

• Three $5,000 awards for short films exemplifying the issues in films less than 50 minutes in length. 

“This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage stories that can amplify awareness and catalyze change around a critical global challenge that concerns us all,” said Cara Mertes, director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “This initiative gives us the much-needed resources to support and filmmakers and to introduce their work to audiences around the world.”   The winning films have the opportunity to be showcased on Hilton Worldwide’s in-room channels and websites at its more than 3,800 hotels in 88 countries, potentially reaching an audience of the more than 250,000,000 guests per year who pass through the company’s hotels.   To further support the Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Fund & Award and sponsorship of the Sundance Film Festival, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts will host a giveaway and contest on their Facebook pages (Facebook.com/HiltonHHonors and Facebook.com/WaldorfAstoria) offering members and fans various prizes, including a trip for four to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, hotel accommodations at Waldorf Astoria Park City and tickets to Sundance Film Festival events and screenings.   As part of its sponsorship, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts will also have on-site presence at the Sundance Film Festival’s Festival Co-Op, located on Main St. There, Waldorf Astoria will treat attendees to the timeless elegance and unique luxury experiences available at Waldorf Astoria properties.   For additional information on submission guidelines and entry criteria for the Hilton Worldwide Sustainability Fund & Award, visit www.sundance.org/hilton. For additional details on the Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Facebook giveaway and contest, become a fan of Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria on Facebook (Facebook.com/HiltonHHonors and Facebook.com/WaldorfAstoria).     Sundance Institute Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.   Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program provides year-round support to nonfiction filmmakers worldwide. The program advances innovative nonfiction storytelling about a broad range of contemporary social issues, and promotes the exhibition of documentary films to audiences. Through the Sundance Documentary Fund, the Documentary Edit and Story Laboratory, Composers + Documentary Laboratory, Creative Producing Lab, as well as the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and a variety of partnerships and international initiatives, the program provides a unique, global resource for contemporary independent documentary film. www.sundance.org/documentary   About Hilton Worldwide Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company alsomanages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.   About Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
WALDORF ASTORIA is Hilton Worldwide’s luxury brand of landmark hotels, with each one as singular and timeless as the brand’s namesake, The Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York. From classic elegance to modern grandeur, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts each represent worldly sophistication and unparalleled guest service. From sumptuous spas and culinary excellence to world-class golf, each hotel & resort offers the exquisite accommodations and signature accoutrements that define refinement and sophistication. Discover Waldorf Astoria by visiting www.waldorfastoria.com. Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is one of Hilton Worldwide’s ten market-leading brands.   About Hilton HHonors Hilton HHonors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, offers its 30 million members more ways to earn and redeem points than any other guest-loyalty program, enabling them to create experiences worth sharing at more than 3,800 hotels in 88 countries. HHonors members can now redeem points for any room, anywhere, anytime, including the most luxurious suites, using any of four room rewards: Premium Room Rewards, Room Upgrade Rewards, Points & Money Rewards and Standard Room Rewards. In addition, HHonors members can use points to purchase unique experience rewards, merchandise and vacation packages, make charitable contributions and more. HHonors is also the only guest-loyalty program to offer ‘No Blackout Dates’ and ‘Points & Miles’ for the same stay at its properties worldwide, including participating Waldorf Astoria Hotels& Resorts, Conrad Hotels& Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. Membership in HHonors is free, and travelers may enroll online by visiting www.HiltonHHonors.com or connect with Hilton HHonors at www.HHonorsGlobalMediaCenter.com.   HILT19686