Saturday, 31 July 2021 16:00

Diversity, friendship, the power of dreams and the love for imagination triumph at #Giffoni50Plus: here are the winning feature films of the 51st edition

After ten days of exciting screenings, intense debates, curiosities and reflections, the young jurors of #Giffoni50Plus have chosen the winning feature films of this edition. 

This year, the festival allowed 3000 Italian and European jurors on site and 2000 connecting from 50 national and 20 international hubs to experience extraordinary stories thanks to the numerous films in competition.

The winner of the Gryphon Award for the Elements +6 section was DRAGON GIRL by Katarina Launing (Norway, Netherlands, Czech Republic), set in the small village of Borington during the Christmas period. The protagonist is Sara: fearing deportation, she constantly hides from the police and seeks shelter in empty houses. However, everything changes when she meets a dragon in one of her shelters. The film will be distributed in Italy by Koch Media.

The Elements +10 section was won by Andre Hörmann's film NIGHT FOREST (Germany), which focuses on the story of Paul and his friend Mark, who embark on an incredible adventure through caves and forests.

As for the Generator +13 jury, the winner was I DON'T WANNA DANCE by Flynn Von Kleist (Netherlands), centred on a young aspiring dancer struggling with a destructive mother and choosing to find his happiness.

The winner of the Generator +16 section was the father-daughter relationship portrayed in the film THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD by Ani Simon-Kennedy (USA). Nola lives day-to-day with her father, her only anchor in a life of transience. The couple crosses the United States in a camper van, enjoying their independence and doing odd jobs to make ends meet. But a shocking event leaves Nola alone: she heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in search of her mother, whom she has never met. When her camper van breaks down, she befriends the owner of an auto body shop and realises she can trust others. The cast includes singer Sabrina Carpenter, who starred in the Netflix film Tall Girl, Steven Ogg, from the popular TV series The Walking Dead, and the monumental Danny Trejo.

NINJABABY (Norway, 2021), directed by Norwegian director Yngvild Sve Flikke, was the most voted film by the jurors of Generator +18.  Based on the graphic novel FALLTEKNIKK by Inga Sætre, it tells the story of 23-year-old Rachel and her unexpected pregnancy. The girl's existence changes radically when she discovers she is pregnant after a less than romantic adventure. Her boyfriend, who is not the child's father, agrees to keep the baby, but it is Rakel who is definitely not ready to become a mother. Since abortion is no longer an option, as the girl is six months pregnant, adoption remains the only answer. That's when NinjaBaby, an animated character who does everything he can to make Rakel's daily life a living hell, appears.

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU (France, 2020) is the title of the documentary film that won the Gex Doc category. The film directed by Stéphanie Pillonca focuses on couples who are unable to have children and decide to resort to adoption. A journey of suffering, emotions, doubts and hopes that makes us reflect on the essence of the relationship between parents and children.

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