Estrella Damm launches short film starring 50 Shades' Dakota Johnson

Estrella Damm has enlisted 50 Shades of Grey's Dakota Johnson to star in a 12-minute film as part of a campaign the Spanish firm claims is a first for a beer brand.

The film, Vale, was distributed in Spain last summer and racked up 10 million views across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

It is now launching in the UK, with the trailer being shown across Channel 4 digital channels, and before Luna Cinema's outdoor movie screenings.

Vale, with its message of using shared passions to break down language barriers, is being targeted at young, adventurous travel lovers.

The film has been directed and co-written by Alejandro Amenábar, whose cinema hits include The Others and Open Your Eyes.

The romantic comedy-drama features Rachael (Johnson), an American tourist in Ibiza who catches the eye of Victor (Quim Gutiérrez).

Victor’s efforts to charm Rachael are hindered by the fact that neither can speak the other’s language. But she warms to him over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and music, which we discover was cultivated through Victor’s reluctance to ever turn down an invitation to share a beer with his friends.

Estrella claimed it was the first beer brand to use a short film of this kind in a campaign. 

Amenábar said the film was intended to celebrate the benefits of saying "vale" - Spanish for okay.

He said: "We worked to a traditional film structure and put together a group of characters that would allow us to explore a typical Mediterranean friendship group.

"Even if some of them didn’t speak the same language, they would still get together over food and drink and celebrate life. This film portrays the impulse to say 'vale' and join any invitation that a friend may offer."

Estrella Damm has a long association with film. It signed up to sponsor the London Spanish Film Festival back in 2007.

The brand is distributed by Charles Wells in the UK. In 2011, it had a cinema ad banned after the ASA decided it could potentially encourage people to combine drinking alcohol and swimming.

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