Three films -two features and a documentary- were selected by film experts and teenagers from all over Europe to take part in the Young Audience Award (YAA), which took place last November 13 in Erfurt, Germany. Among the works in competition were ANIMAL, COMEDY QUEEN and DREAMS ARE LIKE WILD TIGERS, all of which were presented at Giffoni in past editions of the festival.
The winners were chosen by a jury of young people from 42 countries, who attended screenings online and in movie theaters in 70 European cities. The Multimedia Valley also joined the initiative with 100 giffoners, who were actively involved in the event.
The award ceremony was held last Sunday: the winner was ANIMAL (2021, France) by Cyril Dion. 16-year-old Bella and Vipulan belong to a generation convinced that their future is being threatened. Indeed, within 50 years their world may become uninhabitable. They have sounded the alarm several times but nothing has changed. Therefore, they decide to go back to the source of the problem, namely the relationship between humanity and other living beings. On an extraordinary journey, they will realize that we are deeply connected to all other species and that saving them means saving ourselves. Humans thought they could separate themselves from nature, but they are part of nature: they, too, are animals.
The Young Audience Award is organized and presented by the European Film Academy and European Film Academy Productions with the support of Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and Creative Europe Media. The YAA is also part of the "European Film Club", a film platform that allows young people across Europe to come together to watch and discuss films and create their own. Giffoni is among the project partners.
