VICE partnered with Grolsch to launch Grolsch Film Works (GFW), a global development and production project that celebrates and supports independent film. 

VICE's solution to the challenge of re-igniting the Grolsch brand in contemporary culture and engaging a global audience of film fans is an ongoing digital film program, evolving around content creation and written independent film news - providing value to the community on an ongoing basis. 

GFW first stab in content creation was an originally conceived full feature film, commissioned and produced by Grolsch Film Works and VICE. GFW has built a genuine online community by establishing its fully owned editorial platform, as well as continuing to release original short films across the web, running live development workshops.

GFW is intended as a long-term initiative to build credibility and acclaim in the independent film world, so generate wider awareness, engagement, and longevity for the brand.

‘The Fourth Dimension’ has been screened at 30+ acclaimed and established film festivals across the world (including Tribeca, San Francisco, Sitges and Moscow Film Festivals), amassing a huge amount of on- and offline press. The festival-led campaign launch generated vast earned media, reaching a mass audience through titles such as Yahoo, MSN, Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Zimbo, and independent film fans through MTV Film, Complex, Indiewire, Filmmaker and more. The film was also shown during primetime on Sky Indie in the UK. 

In the first year since inception, GFW.com has amassed more than 1m UVs and the feature film release on YouTube’s film channel led to more than 570,000 video views.

GFW.com content has been syndicated by international independent film properties and blogs, and has been acclaimed by the industry and community as a credible voice in independent film.

At the heart of the program launch was the production, distribution and promotion of the full feature film, as well as the digital launch of the GFW editorial platform. 

The film featured talent from 3 key Grolsch markets (Russia, Poland, and the USA) to drive local media pick up, and was activated through official submissions and screenings at international (San Francisco, New York, etc.) and local film festivals (Krakow, Moscow). Additionally, all screenings have been activated through PR and accompanying after parties - providing Grolsch with additional consumer touchpoints and sampling opportunities. 

Online, the dedicated editorial platform GrolschFilmWorks.com tracked each phase of the program, providing ongoing information and editorial content, which was released on the website and distributed through editorial partner sites (e.g. Indiwire). Throughout the program launch, quality traffic was driven to the program via ongoing content syndication and a dedicated PR push around the film release.