#Giffoni50 becomes four. Like a good friend, in times of difficulty, you need to push on the accelerator and give your all to be close to the ones you care for the most, this is Giffoni and the ones closer to their heart: jurors. The current health emergency required a reformulation of the pattern followed so far. The protocols dictated it, strongly calling for prudence. That's why this year the Giffoni Film Festival will be divided into four different moments, modulated according to the age target of the jurors, who, even more, will be guaranteed maximum safety. The first part will take place in Giffoni Valle Piana from 18 to 22 August, the second from 25 to 29 August, the third between September and November and the fourth from 26 to 30 December.
"We all had to stop in February, which is when Giffoni sees a spike in the interest of thousands of youth, in Italy and abroad, waiting for the confirmation of their giffoners diploma - explained the director of Giffoni Opportunity Claudio Gubitosi - We speak of over 15 thousand requests for 7 thousand places available in the various sections. Imagine the disappointment, but the youth are fantastic and very respectful. We all know that they didn't want to be told that Giffoni wouldn't be happening. I promise two things: all Italian and foreign kids already accepted in February (about 6500) will have the much desired T-shirt of this edition; these 6500 are already in the jury of 2021 and will not have to make any other registration. I have never left them, 60 days with each of them, in every corner of the world. I never thought, for a single moment, that this edition would not take place - continues Gubitosi - I have always wondered, however, how not to destroy the uniqueness of Giffoni, where being together is precisely the emblem of the festival. Safety first of all and here I asked myself for a big new effort. Starting all over again, as if I were suddenly in a time machine, to be transported to the Giffoni of the 70s, despite all the modernities of this time. Yet I was not afraid, nor uncomfortable because the general shock that we all had, pushed me to seek the sense of being together, to make values emerge even more. I have never seen Giffoni as an event, a festival, a town, but as a real, natural person, who as such lives on stages, stories, moods, friendships, relationships, successes , emotions, fears. So I went out of my way for my travel companion and he will now go out of his way for his audience. I have to thank the President of the Region Vincenzo De Luca, the Minister Dario Franceschini, the Undersecretary Annalaura Orrico, the Mayor of Giffoni Antonio Giuliano and the President of the Ente Autonomo Giffoni Opportunity, Piero Rinaldi for their trust and commitment".
GIFFONI BECOMES FOUR
18-22 August 2020. We start with the Generator +16, +18 and the Impact master-classes. The highest offices of the state will celebrate this event with them. The +16 section will consist of 200 jurors, the +18 section of 105 jurors. The Impact masterclassers will be 75. The films in competition in the Generator +16 section will deepen the different themes related to the world of adolescence, while Generator +18 will address the relationship between different generations with an unfiltered look. Masterclass Impact (also scheduled from 25 to 29 August 2020) will face the challenges of contemporaneity and innovation. 1300 young people from Italian and international hubs will virtually take part in the first part of the festival.
25-29 August 2020. The Generator +13 section will be made up of 305 jurors, divided into two groups of 200 and 105. The Cult masterclassers will be 60, those of Impact 75. The Generator +13 section will feature the best world production dedicated to young people and coming of age. Cult Masterclass, by now a consolidated and loved format, aims to highlight the masters of cinema, literature, art. Digital filmmaking, photography, basic and serial screenplay are the labs proposed and created with the collaboration of professionals of great caliber and experts. 1100 young people belonging to Italian and international hubs will virtually take part in the second part of the festival. September October November. The third phase is reserved for Italian universities, European hubs, new master classes, a tour of Italy for the fiftieth anniversary, the production of the film on Giffoni's 50 years, and innovation projects. There will also be Web Masterclasses with artists, men and women of culture, law, medicine, institutions, different professional profiles, in short, but also associations, national and international organizations to keep the giffoners’ horizon as open as possible . These are the months of the Creative Weeks, which will be attended by rectors, department directors and teachers from the main universities. From September to November there will be 1500 young people physically present and 3000 others from the Italian and international hubs. In order to support cinema, Giffoni Opportunity, between October and December, will make 1000 tickets available for giffoners in Campania region and 1500 in Italy.
December 26-30. Finally, December will be an opportunity to gather together with the little ones and their families: it is the turn of the Elements + 6 and + 10. Children from six to nine years old will be offered a selection of feature and short films, both animated and fiction, focused mainly on fantasy, while for the Elements +10 the selected films will show how young people who live in very different countries have in common difficulties, interests and feelings. 2020 ends with Gex Doc and Parental Experience, the two sections were born with the aim of offering parents a series of screening and in-depth meetings. The works proposed in the competition will be organized into three groups: international documentaries that focus on particularly complex aspects of contemporary parenting but also on the conditions of childhood and adolescence in the world, the best of the films released in Italy that tell stories that revolve around families and short films on family relationships, generational confrontation, childhood in difficulty.
THE JURIES
The Italian jurors who will physically participate in the festival come from the Campania region. We will see later if some representations from various regions can take part in the event. And for those who cannot be there? 51 hubs of young people around Italy and abroad will join the jurors in attendance in Giffoni Valle Piana: 34 in Italy (from Agrigento to Milan) and 17 international (Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Qatar, Spain, Croatia, Germany, France, Switzerland , England, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Albania, Japan, Canada). They will be tasked with viewing and voting the films in competition streamed from their city, because Giffoni has always been an idea capable of overcoming every barrier and, once again, is ready to reach the jurors wherever they are.
FILM PREMIERES
The Italian distributions have already offered their support for outdoor arena film premieres. Works for children and families that renew the wonder of the big screen, the premieres of the most interesting international productions will open a new era for cinema. The intent will not only be to promote new productions, but above all to give young people an opportunity to share an exciting experience after a few difficult months. A large Arena will host the premieres and will welcome around 400 people in the evening. Other activities reserved for giffoners are scheduled from 9 pm to 11 pm every day in the Multimedia Valley, in the following structures: Blue room (89 seats); Green room (60 seats); Galileo room (105 seats); Truffaut room (200 seats). The capacity of the rooms is in accordance to the current health regulations.
THE TALENTS
Among the first to give their willingness to be present at the most special birthday of the Festival there are nine talents who are deeply connected to Giffoni Opportunity and its mission. In the front line RAOUL BOVA, already a guest of the event, and the protagonist of the film "The last race" by Marco Renda. Passionate about swimming, Bova was joined by the Italian champions Emiliano Brembilla, Olympic medalist in Athens 2004; Filippo Magnini, bi-world champion and Olympic blue; Massimiliano Rosolino, gold in Sidney 2000 and Manuel Bortuzzo, talent of the pools, seriously injured by two criminals on 3 February in Rome, to tell the jurors how important it is to know how to make a team and to hold out your hand, albeit with sacrifice, to win and be free . A strong and very current message, in a complex phase, such as the one we are experiencing, in which, although at a distance, we must learn to come together to grow together and overcome fears. With Bova, another great actor, SERGIO CASTELLITTO: in "The talent of the bumblebee", directed by Giacomo Cimini, he moves restlessly in a by night Milan, made of skyscrapers and neon lights, where even crime appears extraordinary. Carlo, the character he plays, is in fact the symbol of a perverse challenge that hides mysteries. In the list of artists ready to be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the jurors, we find LORENZO ZURZOLO, recently seen in "Compromessi sposi", the film by Francesco Miccichè, after appreciating his talent in the Netflix series "Baby". He will be back on Netflix in June with the film "Under the Riccione sun", a passionate comedy in which a group of teenagers is struggling with couple problems and love stories during a summer vacation. Ready to enchant the young audience of Giffoni BENEDETTA PORCAROLI, soul of "18 gifts", the film by Francesco Amato, inspired by the true story of Elisa Girotto the Treviso mother who died in 2017 at 40, who decided to leave to her daughter eighteen gifts, so as to accompany her from afar until she reaches the age of majority. Also waiting VALENTINA BELLÈ, one of the young up and coming Italianactresses who has gained attention and admiration in just a few years. Officially recognized by the national press as"actress of the year", Valentina had a truly incredible year in 2017. Having started with Claudio Amendola's film "Il Permesso" (for which she immediately received the Biraghi prize as a revelation actress), her film career continued with the Taviani Brothers' film "A private matter" (presented with great success at the festival del cinema di Roma) and then with the film by Francesca Comencini "Loves that don't know are in the world". She also appeared in the Rai event series "The Medici: MASTERS OF FLORENCE" (where she had the opportunity to work with the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden), in "Sirene", written by Ivan Cotroneo directed by Davide Marengo, and in the miniseries "Il Principe Libero", inspired by the life of Fabrizio De Andrè in the role of Dori Ghezzi. Forbes included her among the 100 new Italian under 30 talents and Chanel called her as the Italian face for the launch of the Gabrielle perfume. After seeing her on Sky in the series "Cath 22" directed (and partly produced) by George Clooney, alongside Giancarlo Giannini, on October 30th she is set to star alongside Dustin Hoffman and Toni Servillo in the thriller "The man of the labyrinth" directed by Donato Carrisi, already sold in 25 countries. Three exponents of what could be called Risorgimento campano will instead be the protagonists of a mastrerclass created in collaboration with DO Cinema by Daniele Orazi: GIAMPIERO DE CONCILIO, FRANCESCO SERPICO and MASSIMILIANO CAIAZZO. De Concilio made himself known to the general public thanks to his participation in the film "A day suddenly" by Ciro D'Emilio, where he played the role of Antonio Improta, winning numerous awards from the public and critics. This year he was seen in the Pappi Corsicato TV series aired on Rai 1 "Live and let live", playing the role of Giovanni. Francesco Serpico is famous as the Nino Sarratore in the hbo-rai fiction event series "The brilliant friend", the handsome and intelligent boy who will end up capturing the attention of Lila, played by Gaia Girace, and Elena Greco «Lenù» , aka Margherita Mazzucco. Massimiliano Caiazzo has to his credit the 2019 film "Desesperados" with Edoardo D'Amico and Ludovica Lirosi and "Mare fuori", co-production Rai Fiction - Picomedia produced by Roberto Sessa and directed by Carmine Elia WITH the Roman actress Carolina Crescentini, recently in "A casa tutti bene" by Gabriele Muccino and in the series "I bastardi di Pizzofalcone", carmine bear and valentina romani. set in naples, the series tells the story of a juvenile prison where unexpected friendships and tormented love are born. And finally, but only for the moment, the writer ERRI DE LUCA. His first novel, "Non ora, non qui", was published in Italy in 1989. His books have been translated into over 30 languages. Self-taught in English, French, Swahili, Russian, Yiddish and Old Hebrew, he translated some parts of the Old Testament with a literal method. If it will be easier for Italian guests to be present in Giffoni, for international guests the Q&As will only be organized online. This will allow them to virtually meet the kids, including the jurors and masterclassers connected with the Italian and international hubs. There will be representatives of institutions, artists, musicians, writers, men of science, innovators. MARAYA GABRIEL European Commissioner for Culture, Innovation, Education and Youth confirmed. As far as international talents are concerned, at least five big names will be on line both for the traditional Meet the Stars and for live conferences.
THE PARTNERS
Many companies have chosen right now to be alongside Giffoni, just as Giffoni remains alongside numerous brands of national and international importance. Therefore, a multi-year program with numerous activities that will start from this year is ready, with the aim of accompanying young people towards a sustainable future and together improving the living conditions of our planet.
Among the brands with which this program will be structured is Toyota, a company that has always aimed at sustainable mobility understood as the possibility of moving without limitations or barriers;
Eni, with which Giffoni will address the issues of energy and the circular economy;
BPER: Banca, one of the largest banking groups in Italy, which through the Giffoni Dream Team, after probing the expectations and requests of the younger generations, will try to outline the main features and services of the bank of the future.
Freemont Lab is also close to the festival, based in Battipaglia, a company specialized in the production of technical textiles for sports which, this year, has made the colorful t-shirts available to jurors. It produces for the most important Italian and foreign sports brands. In 2020 it will launch its own product line under the MITO PERFORMANCE brand.
#GIFFONI50
A new section begins dedicated to the values that express stories of ordinary people. The format is called "Exceptional stories of special people". Between September and December, two tributes to Federico Fellini and Alberto Sordi are also planned. From September to December there will be a tour in 23 municipalities of Campania. From January to April 2021 the trip will move to 52 Italian cities. November 20, 2020 will be the Giffoni day, studied in all Italian schools. From September to December, in collaboration with the MIUR, "School Experience Festival 2" will be created, which will involve 10,000 students. This is also the year in which the first part of a new initiative begins, "16 ways of saying hello": 5 cultural sites in Veneto, Sardinia, Basilicata, Calabria and Campania for the fight against child educational poverty. It will last sixty months and was promoted by the Foundation with the South. The production of the feature film "Giffoni50 the film" is also in the pipeline. The story of Giffoni's fifty years will be told in a graphic novel that comes from the collaboration of several actors, such as the Comicon of Naples, Comicon editions and Feltrinelli Comics, with the involvement of its director Tito Faraci for the screenplay. Work will soon begin on the construction of the Museum with a new 500-seat hall and the outdoor Arena for large events, with a capacity of 5 thousand seats.
