Fantasy, love, great passions. And then the delicate parent-child relationship, the generational conflicts and the inner strength that, even in seemingly insurmountable difficulties, always manages to overcome fear and leave room for courage and enthusiasm. These are some of the topics addressed by the first films selected for the 50 Plus edition of Giffoni, the fifty-first, scheduled from July 21st to 31st: feature films and documentaries that will be seen and voted on by 3000 Italian and foreign girls and boys in attendance (the final number will be confirmed following the rules and regulations in force in July), and by 2000 jurors who will follow the edition on-line thanks to 50 national and 20 international hubs.
A great celebration of the return to cinemas for our youth, a moment awaited by the giffoners, who will be back in the theatre, reunite and build on their strong collective identity. Giffoni’s cinema and the encounter with actors and directors called to answer the audience’s unfiltered questions will represent for the jurors what the founder and director of Giffoni Opportunity, Claudio Gubitosi, defined "a cry of happiness in a year in which it is still necessary to respect the rules in order to be able to fly, in 2022, on the wings of freedom”.
Enthusiasm and prudence will in fact be the guidelines that will characterize the 2021 edition of the festival, where all anti-contagion measures will be adopted to guarantee an unforgettable and, most of all, a safe experience.
The selection of the themes has been the subject of extensive reflection like never before: after fourteen months of restrictions that forced society as a whole, and in particular the youngest, to freeze expectations, dreams and hopes, it was essential to offer jurors ideas to help them turn the trust switch back on.
There are already 2550 pre-selected works - including shorts and feature films - that the Giffoni team is evaluating. The deadline for registration is set for May 31st.
The films selected to date come from: Antilles, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Republic Czech, Ukraine, USA.
ELEMENTS +6 (from 6 to 9 years old). DRAGON GIRL by Katarina Launing (Norway, Netherlands, Czech Republic) is set in the small village of Borington, during the Christmas holidays. A moment of joy for everyone, except for Sara, eleven years old. Fearing to be deported, she constantly hides from the police and takes refuge in empty houses. But everything changes when in one of her shelters she meets a dragon. The film will be distributed in Italy by Koch Media. This is the second time in Giffoni for the director who presented the film Magic Silver in 2010, in the same section. SIHJA, THE REBEL FAIRY by Marja Pykko (Finland, Netherlands, Norway) is instead the story of an unconventional fairy and an eccentric boy who overcome their fears and the obstacles of life to save nature. JIM BUTTON AND THE WILD 13 by Dennis Gansel (Germany), focuses on the new adventures of Jim and Lukas. After the two defeat the Dragon, the gang of Thirteen Pirates is on a quest for revenge. With their Emma and Molly locomotives, Jim and Lukas embark on a perilous journey during which Jim may finally see his desire to discover his origins come true. Gansel has already presented three other films inGiffoni: NAPOLA (winner of the Y Gen section in 2004; THE WAVE in the Reload section in 2009 and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver in the Elements + 6 section in 2018. COME COME RAIN by Shafaq Khan (India) tells of the village of Islampura where it hasn't rained for five years: the children will bring light and revive the fortunes of the community.
ELEMENTS +10 (from 10 to 12 years old). MY DAD IS A SAUSAGE is a film by Anouk Fortunier (Belgium, Netherlands) that tells the story of Zoe and her father, who decides to leave his career in the bank to become an actor. Nobody believes in him, starting with his wife, but Zoe will try to help him with all her might. The protagonist, Savannah Vandendriessche is well known face to the giffoner audience: she took part in the film ROSIE & MOUSSA presented in 2018. MY VERY OWN CIRCUS by Miryam Bouchard (Canada) stars Laura, born into a family of circus artists. Laura spent much of her young life touring with her father Bill, a professional clown, and her stage assistant, Mandeep. Secretly, she longs for a more conventional life. Thanks to her new teacher Patricia, she can finally realize her dream: to attend a private school. NIGHT FOREST by Andre Hörmann (Germany) focuses on Paul, struggling with an incredible adventure through caves and forests in the company of his friend Max. THE BLUE GIRL by Keivan Majidi (Iran) is set in a village in the rocky mountains of Kurdistan where everyone is in love with football. But there is no suitable camp and so the little ones decide to venture into the mountains. MICA by Ismaël Ferroukhi (Morocco, France, Qatar) is about a slum boy who is hired as a handyman in a very elitist tennis club in Casablanca. Here he is noticed by Sophie, a former champion, who takes him under her wing.
GENERATOR +13 (from 13 to 15 years old. Four films in competition selected so far. ANY DAY NOW by Hamy Ramezan (Finland) tells about 13-year-old Iranian Ramin Mehdipour, who lives with his family in a refugee camp in Finland. Just as Ramin begins to enjoy the school holidays, the family receives the terrible news that their asylum application has been rejected. BULADÒ by Eché Janga (Netherlands, Antilles) is the story of 11-year-old Kenza, determined to find her own way, against the backdrop of a landfill in Curacao, between an extremely rational father and a spiritually inclined grandfather. THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLFBOY by Martin Krejcí (USA) centers on young Paul, who lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. It is impossible for the boy to make friends due to his congenital hypertrichosis. But on his thirteenth birthday, he receives a mysterious gift that forces him to run away and look for the mother he never knew. The cast includes Jaeden Martell (the Bill of It and It Chapter Two), John Turturro, Chloe Savigny and Eve Hewson (U2’s Bono’s daughter, who will play Anne Morgan in the Tesla film with Ethan Hawke). The film will be distributed in Italy by Notorious Pictures. HER NAME WAS JOE by Joe Duka (USA) tells of ten-year-old Jo who spends her days along the Shenandoah River with her best friend Selma. When her addicted and abusive stepfather dies, Jo decides, with Selma in tow, to set out in search of her real father, a legendary Los Angeles folk singer.
GENERATOR +16 (from 16 to 17 years old). EVERYONE HAS A SUMMER by Tomasz Jurkiewicz (Poland) is the story of rebel Agata who arrives in a small town. 17-year-old Mirek bets he'll seduce her, while her grandfather, who suffers from dementia, sees her as his long-lost lover. Mirek uses her grandfather to get close to Agata and together they discover a family secret. The actress who plays Agata (Sandra Drzymalska) was also the protagonist of the film Sole by Carlo Sironi, presented as part of the Cult Masterclass last year. STOP-ZEMLIA by Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine) tells of Masha, an introverted high school student, very attached to Yana and Senia. The encounter with love, however, will force her to change her habits. THE WHITE FORTRESS by Igor Drljaca (Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina) revolves around the figure of Faruk, a young teenager from Sarajevo who has the opportunity to prove his worth to a leader of a local gang. Everything seems to go well until he meets Mona, with whom he inevitably falls in love.
GENERATOR +18 (From 18 years onwards) SHIVA BABY by Emma Seligman (USA, Canada) tells the story of 20-year-old Danielle, who arrives late to a Jewish funeral after a morning spent trying to extort money from her sugar daddy Max. When the latter introduces himself to the shiva, with blonde wife shiksa (Glee star Dianna Agron, Giffoni’s special guest in 2012), Danielle's troubles have just begun. As if that weren't enough, her high school best friend has become an enemy. In the cast there is also Polly Draper, winner of the bronze Grifone as best actress for the film The Tic code by Gary Winick presented in competition at Giffoni in 1998. SMALL COUNTRY - AN AFRICAN CHILDHOOD by Eric Barbier (France, Belgium) focuses on the vicissitudes of Gabriel, 10, who lives in a comfortable expat neighborhood in Burundi. Gabriel is a normal, happy, carefree and adventurous child. Then, in 1993, tensions in neighboring Rwanda spread, threatening her family and her innocence.
GEX DOC (section dedicated to teachers, parents and filmgoers). CHILDREN by Ada Ushpiz (Israel) opens a window on the emotional world of Palestinian girls, in a life they have not chosen, forced to become adults before their time. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU by Stéphanie Pillonca (France) focuses on couples who cannot have children and decide to adopt. A journey made of suffering, emotions, doubts and hopes that makes us reflect on the essence of the relationship between parents and children. KIDS CUP by Line Hatland (Norway) represents a plunge into a teenage universe made up of 13-14 year olds from different parts of the world, competing in the football tournament, the Norway Cup, in Oslo.
From July 21st to 31st, over 100 films will be presented in competition, in addition to the major events dedicated to the best film premieres. around 150 Italian and International artists are also expected to meet the giffoners of the various sections.
Not only activities in the theatre: the outdoor arena in Piazza Fratelli Lumière will also give space to music performance with evenings by reservation for up to 1000 people. The Orange Garden will instead be totally dedicated to shows for the whole family.
Great success for IMPACT!, a totally renewed format open to listening. A laboratory of thought, reflection and analysis for 200 young people, aged 18 to 28, who will have the opportunity to be heard by representatives of institutions, culture, entertainment, exponents of the world of science, sociologists, CEOs of companies. The meetings will also see a focus on the issues addressed during the days of the festival.
In the coming weeks, the first details of the program will be announced on the website www.giffonifilmfestival.it and on the official social networks, which will be presented in the archaeological parks of Pompeii and Paestum and with activities planned in the Archaeological Museum of Pontecagnano.
Download here the photos of the first films in competition at #Giffoni50Plus: https://bit.ly/33b9DDa
