theme
CARPE DIEM
The selection of the theme, is shared with our fanbase. The theme is the result of the Giffoni youth’s choice. Giffoni is the place where they can voice their opinions and they chose CARPE DIEM. Carpe Diem represents Thousands of youth shouting all at once for the 45th edition of the Giffoni Experience. Carpe Diem is an invitation to make your life extraordinary. To never stop, to never delay what you can do now to “after” and to do it with courage and passion. It is a warning like the one whispered by professor Keating (the late Robin Williams) to his students in “Dead poet’s Society”: life is too short and youth is temporary and for this reason it must be seized and lived to the fullest so to enjoy its uniqueness. It is an ancient idea, but forever young. Carpe Diem is the beautiful saying used by Horace to express the idea that “living in the present” is the best way to claim one’s individual freedom and existence. Today, Carpe diem might not have the same “distorted” value it had during the Renaissance (an invitation to enjoy the ephemeral until the last day of youth), but it is a philosophical concept, the awareness that the future does not belong to us. We cannot foresee it. However it is possible to “determine “ it in some way with the “present” actions ( here and now). With this theme We want to encourage our audiences to seize the opportunities, the joy of today without worrying too much about the future!
JURIES
3.600 jurors coming from 160 Italian cities and approximately 50 Countries, among which: Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, India, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Morocco, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, United Kingdom, USA.
COMPETITIVE SECTIONS
The Elements +3 category (jurors aged from 3 to 5), the competitive section for the youngest jury composed of children of primary school, had 24 short films in competition, and the victory went to the French short film "Captain Fish", by John Banana, while the Italian "The Mods" by Alessandro Portincasa and Antonio Padovan won the Giotto Super Bè-Bè award.
Elements +6 (competitive section for children aged from 6 to 10) is the section made up of fiction and animation feature films and short films scrupulously selected to create a first stunning contact between little jurors and a cinema able to engage and captivate them with adventure, action, imagination, fantastic tales and journeys. The section winners were the Italian feature film "Grotto" - written, produced and directed by Micol Pallucca - and the Czech short film "The Wish Fish", by Karel Janak. Second place for features went to the Dutch "The Amazing Wiplala" by Tim Oliehoek, while the second most appreciate short film was "The Present", by the German director and character animator Jacob Frey. Not to forget the participation in competition of two feature films distributed in the Italian cinemas: "Ghosthunters - On Icy Trails" by Tobi Baumann (distributed in Italy by Notorious Pictures), and "The Games Maker" by Juan Pablo Buscarini, with Joseph Fiennes and Valentina Lodovini (co-produced and distributed by De Angelis Group).
Elements +10 (jurors aged from 10 to 12) Feature films and shorts of this section introduce kids to more challenging themes and narrative forms which, from adventure, action, fairy-tales and fantasy, embark on reality, realism and realistic dramas. The section winners were the Belgian "Labyrinthus" by Douglas Boswell for the feature films, and the American short "The Red Thunder", by Alvaro Ron. Second place between feature films went to the Danish "The Shamer's Daughter", by Kenneth Kains (based on the book "The Shamer's Daughter" by Lene Naaberbøl), while the Italian "Two Left Feet", by Isabella Salvetti, gained the second place between the short films in competition. Oliver Ringer's "Birds of Passage" - Franco-Belgian feature film - won the Hospital Bambino Gesù award, standing out "for telling the kids world, dreams and ambitions with sensitivity, truth and elegance; for having rekindled in adults eyes the ancient and trembling flame of childhood's excitement". A special mention went to Robert Connolly's "Paper Planes" for the interpretetion of Sam Worthington, main character of AVATAR.
Generator +13 (from 13 to 15) is the section which enables jurors to learn about international cinema, based on stories about teens like them, on young themes which get involved them directly, as the transition from childhood to adolescence, or, in this Festival edition, the spirit of freedom, the rebellion against adulthood, the grieving process, the spirituality, the religion. The winner is the German feature film "Sanctuary", by Marc Brummond. At the second place, the Norwegian "Beatles", by Peter Flinth, and the CGS Award goes to South Korean "Thread of Lies", by Lee Han "because - as we can read in official reasons - the film deals with bullying without considering stereotypes and ordinary narrative solutions: it focuses on the world of young girls, the psycological aspect of violence and the power of social network in cyberbullying which can result in suicide". Special mention to a movie distributed in Italian cinemas by Mediterranea Productions, the French "Marie's Story", by Jean-Pierre Améris.
Generator +16 (from 16 to 17) is a section composed by feature films characterized by innovative subjects, which reveal feelings, passions, thoughts, turmoils, agitations, ambitions and dreams of today's youth, showing a troubled and changing generations's world, telling stories of adolescents looking for their identity, often conflicting with the society in which they lives and with their family. Jurors awarded the American feature film "All the Wilderness", by Michael Johnson. Second place for French "Standing Tall", by Emmanuelle Bercot, opening film of 2015 Cannes Festival. English feature film "The Falling", directed by Carol Morley and performed by Maisie Williams ("Game of Thrones" actress), wins the British Film Institute Certificate Award, "for the originality - as we can read in official reasons - of the story and for technical aspects of the film such as cinematography and sound design. The film had a kind of depth that was carried out throughout the whole story giving it layers of complexity". Finally, the French "Young Tiger" (by Cyprien Vial) wins the Don Bosco Educational Award; it is a film, we can read in official reasons, that "is an encouragement to be present in the suburbs and to find solutions for the young migrants who arrive on our shores alone".
Generator +18, the most 'adult' section of Giffoni Film Festival, is focused on movies of problematic, dramatic and sometimes 'extreme' stories, based on the conflict between youthhood and adulthood. For the feature films wins the South Korean "Coin Locker Girl", by Han Jun-hee, which wins also the British Film Institute Certificate Award, "because of - as we can read in the official reasons - the great transformation of the main character who went from being a tomboy girl to a mature woman", and the second place went to American "Gabriel", by Lou Howe. In short film competition, the fiction award goes to Italian "Point of View", by Matteo Petrelli, followed by Danish "Lukas & the Aspies", by Anders Gustafsson, while in the animation category are awarded two Russian films: the winner is "About a Mother", by Dina Velikovskaya, and at the second place there's "My Grandfather was a Cherry Tree", by Olga Poliektova and Tatiana Poliektova. The Amnesty International Award goes to French feature film "Fatima", by Philippe Faucon ("a beautiful story of integration - tells the official reasons - which does not fear to show hypocrisy of people influenced and affected by their own sterotypes"), and to the short film "Beach Flags", by Sarah Saidan ("for the ability to narrate a story about the desire for change of Iranian women forced to limit their freedom of speech by unjust laws"). Worthy of note the French "Astragal", based on the novel "The Astragal" by Albertine Sarrazin, directed by Brigitte Sy, performer of some of the most important movies of the French Maestro Philippe Garrel.
The 2015 Giffoni Film Festival edition was the second year with a competitive section for documentaries, GEx Doc: documentaries tell children and boys' stories, related to most debated themes of our time, to the most serious problems of the world we live in, as integration, terrorism, ecology. The winner is the Italian "Forever Stars", by Mimmo Verdesca, also winner of 2015 Nastro d'Argento for best documentary. Second place for Canadian "All the Time in the World", by Suzanne Crocker, which won also the CIAL Award.
MyGIFFONI
In 2015 edition the national contest MYGIFFONI celebrates the sixth year; dedicated to short films realized by students and young videomaker, MyGiffoni is organized by Giffoni Experience in cooperation with schools and cultural associations. Three sections: 6-10 years old, 11-13 and 14-20. The 2015 winners are: "La valigia", by Marco Di Gerlando and Ludovica Gibelli (Associazione Culturale Zuccherarte, Genoa); "Baffi", by Daniela Borsese (Istituto Comprensivo Statale Avegno Camogli Recco Uscio, Genoa); "Sabrina", by Alberto Gigante (Centro Studi Opera Don Calabria, Città del Ragazzo, Ferrara). The Audience Award goes to: "Voltare pagina", by Enzo Morzillo (Istituto Dante Alighieri in Brusciano, Naples); "Umpridura", by Davide Eustacchi (Istituto Comprensivo Sant'Antioco Calasetta in Fermi, Sardinia); "Di luci e di ombre", by Renata Ricci (Antares Centro di Riabilitazione Neuromotoria, San Nicola la Strada, Caserta). The Special Award for Directing goes to "Zeta", by Valerio Lorito (L.A.A.V. Officina Teatrale, Salerno).
MASTERCLASS
Masterclass, in 2015 arrived to 7th edition, is the section dedicated to selected Generator +18 jurors. This year, guests are: writer, screenplayer and director IVAN COTRONEO; cartoonist, animator and director ALESSANDRO RAK; youtubers FAVIJ, FEDERICO CLAPIS, LEONARDO DECARLI and ZODA, who presented their first movie teaser, GAME THERAPY, directed by Ryan Travis; the Rai Fiction director ELEONORA ANDREATTA, producer and author VALERIO BERGESIO and actor CLAUDIO DI BIAGIO, who presented RAY, the new Rai web platform; THE PILLS, in other words the actors and authors MATTEO CORRADINI, LUIGI DI CAPUA and LUCA VECCHI; producer, manager and football chair MASSIMO FERRERO; writer, author and TV announcer FEDERICO TADDIA; actor and director LUCA DE FILIPPO; writer ALESSANDRO BARICCO; director, screenplayer, comedy writer, actor and TV author MASSIMILIANO BRUNO; director DUCCIO FORZANO; talent agent DANIELE ORAZI; dubber ROBERTO PEDICINI; university teacher of anthropology PAOLO APOLITO.
NON COMPETITIVE SECTIONS
PREVIEWS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The Giffoni previews are: "Ant-Man" by Peyton Reed (Disney); "Paper Towns" by Jake Schreier (20th Century Fox); "Pixels" by Chris Columbus (Warner Bros.); "The Duff" by Ari Sandel (Eagle Pictures); "When Marnie was there" by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the last Ghibli film (Lucky Red); "Né Giulietta né Romeo", the first movie directed by Veronica Pivetti (Microcinema); "Eduardo e i burattini", documentary directed by Francesco Saponaro, produced by Fondazione Eduardo De Filippo and presented by Luca De Filippo, Festival guest.
In Giffoni also this teasers: "Fallen" (M2 Pictures), by Scott Hicks e based on the novel by Lauren Kate, Festival guest; "Game Therapy" (Lucky Red), performed by Favij, Federico Clapis, Leonardo Decarli and Zoda, all Festival guests; "One Kiss" (Lucky Red), by Ivan Cotroneo, Festival guest; "Minions", by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda (Universal Pictures); "The Little Prince", by Mark Osborne and based on novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Lucky Red); "Hotel Transylvania 2", by Genndy Tartakovsky (Warner Bros.); "Breaking Dance", by John Swetnam (Lucky Red); "Babbo Natale non viene da Nord", written, directed and performed by Maurizio Casagrande (Bolero Film).
The special events are: "Inside Out" (Disney), by Pete Docter; the tv series "Alex & Co." (Disney Channel), with the complete cast at Festival; the animation TV series "Miles from Tomorrowland", created by Sascha Paladino (Disney Junior); the second season of the animation TV series "Star Wars Rebels" (Disney XD); "I bambini sanno" (Bim Distribuzione), documentary by Walter Veltroni, Festival guest; "Biagio" (Fandango), by Pasquale Scimeca; "Hotel Transylvania" (Warner Bros.), by Genndy Tartakovsky; "Camminando nel cielo", by Angelo Antonucci (DAC); "Hey You!", a short film written, directed and performed by Maria Rosaria Omaggio; "Tommaso", a short film directed by Luigi Mascolo and performed by Monica Guerritore; "Il fiume giovane", a short by Carlos Solito.
ROBIN WILLIAMS MARATHON
For the fifth year, the day before starting the Giffoni Experience, the young movie freaks can breath the air of Festival with a marathon dedicated to huge artists of the world of cinema. In 2015 is ROBIN WILLIAMS MARATHON time, a non-stop screening in which we presented five movies performed by the huge artist passed away in 2014, but we are all mindful of him, also as symbol of "Carpe Diem", thanks to his big interpretation of professor John Keating in "Dead Poets Society" (1989); "Hook" (1991) by Steven Spielberg; "Jumanji" (1995) by Joe Johnston; "Good Will Hunting" (1997) by Gus Van Sant; "Bicentennial Man" (1999) by Chris Columbus.
CINEMA AL PARCO
CINEMA AL PARCO is the 2015 name of the traditional festival of movies distruibuted in the Italian cinemas, chosen for boys and their parents, focused on human, social, historical issues, narrated through the gazes of adolescents; feature films based on themes as the family world, the relationship between parents and sons, the sons' dreams and the expections' parents, yesterday and today. The film selected are: "Infinitely Polar Bear", directed by Maya Forbes and performed by Mark Ruffalo, Festival guest; "Whiplash", by Damien Chazelle; "La Famille Bélier", by Éric Lartigau; "The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet", by Jean-Pierre Jeunet; "Class Enemy", by Rok Biček; "The Search", by Michel Hazanavicius; "Banana", by Andrea Jublin.
IL SENSO DEL MATTINO
At 2015 Festival, the preview of "Il senso del Mattino – A city, a story, its newspaper", produced by Giffoni Experience and commissioned by daily newspaper “Il Mattino”; written, edited and directed by Luca Apolito: a reflection on be a writer, on what the newspaper is for, and at the same time a travel in the city of Naples. The documentary was screening, then, on 28th September 2015 during a great event in San Carlo theater, with the presence of the Presidente of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.
GUESTS
International guests: ORLANDO BLOOM, MARK RUFFALO, DARREN CRISS, TOM FELTON, MARTIN FREEMAN, LAUREN KATE.
From Italy: ASIA ARGENTO, ELEONORA ANDREATTA, PAOLO APOLITO, ALESSANDRO BARICCO, GARY BASEMAN, VALERIO BERGESIO, MATTEO BRANCIAMORE, MASSIMILIANO BRUNO, LUCA CAPUANO, FORTUNATO CERLINO, FRANCESCA CHILLEMI, FEDERICO CLAPIS, LODOVICA COMELLO, VALENTINA CORTI, IVAN COTRONEO, LEONARDO DECARLI, LUCA DE FILIPPO, FABIO DE LUIGI, CLAUDIO DI BIAGIO, ANGELO DURO, TEA FALCO, FAVIJ, ANNA FOGLIETTA, DUCCIO FORZANO, STEFANO FRESI, LILLO e GREG, EDOARDO LEO, SELVAGGIA LUCARELLI, TESS MASAZZA, ROCIO MUÑOZ MORALES, DANIELE ORAZI, ROBERTO PEDICINI, THE PILLS (MATTEO CORRADINI, LUIGI DI CAPUA, LUCA VECCHI), MASSIMO POGGIO, ALESSANDRO RAK, PRIMO REGGIANI, RICCARDO ROSSI, SERENA ROSSI, FEDERICO TADDIA, FABIO TROIANO, NICOLAS VAPORIDIS, WALTER VELTRONI, ZODA, the cast from the TV series ALEX & CO and BRACCIALETTI ROSSI.
The institutional guests: the Minister of Defence ROBERTA PINOTTI; the Vice President of Chamber of Deputies LUIGI DI MAIO; the State Secretary for the Environment BARBARA DEGANI; the Chief of Defence Staff CLAUDIO GRAZIANO; the Commanding General of the Port Authority – Coast Guard FELICIO ANGRISANO; the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia ELIZABETA KANCESKA-MILEVSKA; His Excellency the Minister of Culture of Qatar HAMAD BIN ABDULAZIZ AL-KUWARI.
GIFFONI MUSIC CONCEPT
Synth pop and new wave, hip hop and folk on the stage of Piazza Lumière in Giffoni Music Concept 2015: PSYCHOPATIC ROMANTICS (Caserta/Benevento), SHA'DONG (Caserta), NIBIRU PRJ22 (Salerno), BLINDUR (Naples), THE SMASH (Salerno), RESURREXTION (Naples), THE CITIZEN (Salerno), LEF (Salerno).
TRIO MEDUSA LATE SHOW @ GIFFONI
Ironic and politically incorrect: That is Trio Medusa Late Show @ Giffoni: the show debuts at Giffoni Film Festival 2015. It will be a fun daily appointment ending Festival nights and was aired on TV channel Italia1 from 18 August at night. The Trio Medusa and jurors asked music and film talent poignant questions. From 18 July starting at 10.pm, Piazza Lumière in Giffoni Valle Piana turned into an arena with two stages: one for music and one for interviews. Some of the greatest names in entertainment are amongst the guests hosted by Trio Medusa Late Show @ Giffoni: from one of the most original Italian songwriters like MAX PEZZALI to top chart rapper GUE' PEQUENO, the original three actors NICOLAS VAPORIDIS, PRIMO REGGIANI, MATTEO BRANCIAMORE, the comedians of the 2.0 generation THE PILLS, FABIO DE LUIGI and ANGELO DURO; the latest up and coming band THE KOLORS, actors and talent EDOARDO LEO, FABIO TROIANO, ANNA FOGLIETTA, NINA ZILLI and ZERO ASSOLUTO, rapper RAIGE and last but not least charts breakers, MALIKA AYANE and LORENZO FRAGOLA. A great live show for the 45th Giffoni Experience, including a brilliant talk show, great entertainment and music, including a contest for bands from Campania. The show was aired on Italia1 from the 18th August at night for 6 days.
GIFFONI STREET FEST
20 locations around the village, 38 companies from around Italy, France, Spain and Belgium, 200 shows including stage shows, story-telling, ludobus, travelling libraries, living statues, face painting, dog show, hairdressing art, street buskers, animation and games. This is the rich programme of the Giffoni Street Fest, the side of the Giffoni Experience that brings all the village together entertaining children and grown-ups.
GIFFONI INNOVATION HUB
Giffoni Innovation Hub is set to organize several activities focused on multimedia, interactive and digital themes together with its Italian and international partners for Giffoni Experience 45. A lot of space will be given to startups, innovation technology projects and workshops focusing on digital education and digital learning which will be open for everyone, families and young people alike.
GIFFONI DOHA YOUTH MEDIA SUMMIT (GDYM)
In 2015, in collaboration with Doha Film Institute (DFI), the Festival organized and hosted in Giffoni Valle Piana the GDYM Summit on 21st, 22nd, 23rd July. In this circumstance, there was the constitution of Planet-Y, an international network for young people, coordinated by GEx and DFI, for management and promotion of cultural events and for production of artistic, creative, audiovisual and multimedial works. It was the second date, after the first meeting in Doha at Ajyal Youth Film Festival. At the GDYM Summit participate 20 international delegates, representatives of several youth festivals, film companies, creative associations, discussing in Giffoni for possible partnerships with the aid of European funds.
RADIO GIFFONI
For the very first time there is also Radio Giffoni: on air from 15 to 26 July on Radio Flash, FM 93.800 and in streaming, with live action from the Festival to give everyone the opportunity to feel the voices and emotions from the Festival, with guests, interviews and the latest news.
ART SHOW "COGLI L'ARTE"
Also in 45th Giffoni Film Festival edition it was presented a contemporary art show, named "Cogli l'Arte", in accordance with this edition theme, "Carpe Diem". The exhibition, organized by Salvatore Colantuoni in Complesso Monumentale San Francesco, proposed the works by 27 contemporary artists, interpreting in their own way the Festival theme. They are: Carlo Audini, Domenico Balsamo, Juri Corti, Giovanni Coscarelli, Gennaro De Rosa, Simone Di Filippo, Claudio Filosofi, Massimiliano Giara, Yasmina Heidar, Margherita Lipinska, Vincenzo Luongo, Pietro Mancini, Massimiliano Mascolini, Ada Mazzei, Stefano Mosena, Stefano Nicastri, Angelo Palladino, Luca Paolelli, Marcello Pezza, Tommaso Pirretti, Felipe Senatore, Zacaria Sole, Salvatore Troiano, Gennaro Vallifuoco, Hui Xie, Beatrice Zagato, Xu Zhu.
GIFFONI YOUTH MEDIA MARKET
Also in the 2015 edition, Giffoni Experience offer to film professionals its experience and its competence in order to publicize and support cinema for young people, also developing co-production strategies. Market does it through Giffoni Video Library, witnessed by a paper and multimedial catalogue, provided for screenings organized by producers and distributors.