This morning Giffoni was in Rome to take part in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Tennis Championships, one of the most important sporting events in Europe, which is being held at the Foro Italico complex. Giffoni's presence was promoted by the Department for Youth Policy and Universal Civil Service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, in the presence of Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi. The initiative highlights Giffoni's key role for young people, who flocked to the Roman event in large numbers. On this occasion, the Ministry organized several panels, the first of which was focused on Giffoni. The meeting was attended by Giffoni General Manager Jacopo Gubitosi, Giffoni Artistic Director Luca Apolito and Head of Institutional Relations Davide Russo, who had the chance to tell the young audience about the story of the festival, which is beloved and well-known all over the world, as well as about its activities, answering the many questions of the attendees. Giffoni, which is co-financed by the Campania Region and the Ministry of Culture and will take place from July 20 to 29, unveiled the poster of the 53rd edition precisely during this meeting with young people within an international context.
The fingers of a hand, five senses, one message: strength comes from being aware that children and youth are indispensable because there would be no present and no future without their energy, their vision and their dreams. Hence the image portraying the story of "the Indispensable", the theme of this year's edition, which will be welcoming more than 6,000 jurors from 30 countries.
The image was conceived for Giffoni by writer, poet and translator Erri De Luca and graphically designed by Artistic Director Luca Apolito: a hand that turns into a flower, growing and sprouting new ideas. The fingers are linked to the five senses, each of which is reflected in a word that evokes concepts that are indispensable in everyone's life.
Erri De Luca wrote: “Claudio Gubitosi summoned me to Giffoni, which once a year draws youth from the four corners of the wind. The watchword for 2023 is: indispensable. To me, fraternity is indispensable, and I see the immediate image of an open hand. A hand not to read the future, but to touch it. Five fingers for five senses. Sight, thus cinema, epitome of the arts. Hearing, thus the human voice that escorts listening from within the womb. Smell, thus the earth that ferments. Taste, thus bread, which stands for salvation. Touch, which spreads in each and every pore that is longing to caress. Having settled that the open hand is indispensable, this hand must now be strengthened with the eager smile of those who will come to Giffoni”.
“After devoting last year's edition to the Invisible, this year we felt we should naturally continue on this path by adopting The Indispensable as our theme, which will be aimed at all the young people who are capable of voicing ideas and are eager to get involved and be heard”, explained Giffoni General Manager Jacopo Gubitosi. “They are our energy and driving force, as Erri De Luca wisely captured with his evocative image that encompasses poetry and strength, fragility and power. The idea of a hand from which flowers are blooming perfectly represents Giffoni's identity, which is made up of warmth, joy, creativity and trust”.
“At Giffoni, young people are not spectators, they are the driving force behind the major innovations and changes that are taking place on a social, technological, cultural and political level”, said Giffoni Artistic Director Luca Apolito. “We want to offer them more and more opportunities and frameworks allowing them to come up with ideas, develop new skills, discover new perspectives by drawing on both cinema and the encounter with the other. The aim is to let them travel across the world and its cultures, explore their own identity and encourage them to become aware, sensitive and active citizens of tomorrow's societies. Giffoni thus offers young people the opportunity to make a further change in perspective within an event that asks them to stand up from their seats in the movie theater and take center stage in order to depict the world to come”.
Erri De Luca, a longtime protagonist of Giffoni, will also be attending the festival. His first novel, "Non ora, non qui", was published in Italy in 1989. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. He also wrote for cinema the short film "Di là dal vetro", "Il Turno di Notte lo Fanno le Stelle" (awarded at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival in New York), the musical biography "La Musica Provata" and the documentary "Alberi che camminano".
During the meeting in Rome, young people's questions about the first guests who will be taking part in #Giffoni53 were answered with the announcement of one of Italy's greatest talents, Antonio Albanese, who will be meeting with the young people on July 25. Among his most successful films are "La lingua del Santo" directed by Carlo Mazzacurati, "La seconda notte di nozze" by Pupi Avati, "Manuale d'amore 2" by Giovanni Veronesi, "Giorni e Nuvole" by Silvio Soldini, "Qualunquemente" by Giulio Manfredonia, "L'intrepido" by Gianni Amelio, "L'abbiamo fatta grossa" by Carlo Verdone and "Come un gatto in tangenziale" by Riccardo Milani. In 2023, he starred in the film "Grazie ragazzi," directed by Riccardo Milani, and directed Francesco Cilea's opera "Gloria" at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari. Albanese also wrote the book "Lenticchie alla julienne" published by Feltrinelli, as well as many theater plays, and was screenwriter and director of the TV series "I topi". From 2007 to 2011, he was featured on the TV show "Che tempo che fa".
