It was the President of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, who officially started the 53rd edition of Giffoni Film Festival. In the square of the Citadel of Cinema he cut the symbolic ribbon as a welcome sign. The Campania Region welcomes more than 6,500 jurors who, from today, crowd the streets of Giffoni and participate in hundreds of activities that make up this edition's program, set to be the richest ever.
A jubilant crowd welcomes Vincenzo De Luca, with many selfies, handshakes, and smiles, all under the scorching sun of these hours. Numerous mayors from all over Campania attended the opening of #Giffoni53, confirming how Giffoni, in addition to its characteristic international soul, has never lost sight of its territorial context.
Many were the warm handshake with Giffoni founder Claudio Gubitosi, as many as the ritual shots at the photocall with Giffoni's general manager Jacopo Gubitosi, with Pietro Rinaldi, president of the Giffoni Experience Autonomous Body, and with the first citizen of Giffoni Valle Piana, Antonio Giuliano. Among other authorities present were the president of the Province of Salerno, Franco Alfieri, and regional councilor Andrea Volpe. And, again, cordialities with the Guarantor for Children and Adolescents, Carla Garlatti.
"It's more than half a century that we enjoyed this event," said Vincenzo De Luca, "It's an event aimed at the younger generations that speaks of the future, of a new world. This event, the Giffoni Film Festival, is truly important because it is inspired by the values of solidarity, of the encounter between young people of different countries, cultures, and religions, which is the message to pass in the contemporary world: there is no salvation without dialogue and coexistence between who is different."
Going in Sala Truffaut, the President addressed a message to the jurors of the Generator +13 and +16: "The value of Giffoni today," he said, "is the signal of hope for the future that starts from here. I would like the message of a cease-fire in Ukraine - that we as the Campania Region have been sending since last October 28 - from Giffoni. There are so many of your little friends who are still under the bombs today. These days you will have the opportunity to meet friends from many countries and many cities, you will have beautiful experiences and you will understand how good it is to talk with your peers from other parts of the world, you will realize how close you are, how there are no distances, and how much you look each other in the eyes and share human feelings and friendship. When you return to your cities, take this message with you: the most important thing is peace, solidarity, and respect among peoples."
Giffoni speaks to young people and makes them the protagonists: "Beyond work," continued the president of the Campania Region, "climate, development, there is an emergency that is linked to the condition of mental health that affects young people. We see more and more parents who cannot talk to their children, so they can’t manage their growth processes. This is why we have activated a basic psychology service at health facilities and schools as the Campania Region."
Giffoni is an example of a South that does not feel sorry for itself but grows and produces. Inevitable was the reference to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan that was also created to bridge the inequality between areas of the country: "Young people are missing and the South is missing from the plan -De Luca observed - let's not forget that these two hundred billion euros were needed precisely to recover from the gap between North and South, which is an infrastructural, employment and gender gap. For months I have been in controversy with Minister Fitto, and I am not understanding much about it. Even today Development and Cohesion Funds - meant for the South - are blocked with an allocation that has not yet been formalized. We need concreteness and we must not forget that the objectives of the Plan were young people and the South of Italy."
Closing the visit was a tribute from the Mounted Police Fanfare, a visit to the many institutional stands in the village, and a carpet hug with Claudio Bisio. This is the magic of Giffoni: worlds that meet, and values that are shared.
