“A wonderful experience and a great success in a place called happiness”: with these words, Giffoni’s founder Claudio Gubitosi has said goodbye to this edition – the number 53 - of the Giffoni Film Festival. He also announced the 54th edition: from the 19 to the 28 of July 2024.
“Giffoni has once again shown the better part of itself – despite all the difficulties – without giving up its fundamental mission: be alongside children and teenagers.” Gubitosi said. ”I was struck by a comment on social media, in which adults were invited to follow us with more attention. This comment made me realize how many parents get involved through the energy their children broadcast. Because, even if the talents that come here are important, the key role is made by our young people and their story. This year a peculiar kind of chemistry provoked some wonder: you need to live Giffoni and anyone who comes gives something and leaves something. We have recorded more than 3.7k people, but it’s not just numbers. What I care about is the social and human report, made of passion and love. I felt it with my very own hands anytime I entered the theatre.”
Giffoni’s creator pointed out that – beyond all the two hundred talents that have met 6500 jurors from thirty countries – the Government’s attendance was intense and important. "Each of the many offices attending engaged with the audience, and, in doing so, their humanity was as poignant as their professionalism. Giffoni’s role and its engagement with youth is “confirmed by the many mayors and administrations requesting a collaboration. That means that a social and cultural void exists, but that there’s a willingness to overcome it.”
Gubitosi also announced a new revolution inside Giffoni: “I will create a taskforce, because we need facilities and accommodations to manage our growing reality. I know that tons of people struggled in order to find accommodation, and, in this regard, we will work so to give Giffoni a new role and a new governance locally, nationally, and internationally. Giffoni is off-limits and not up for debate, what is a number of things we want to improve”.
After his thanks to the mayor of Giffoni Valle Piana, the president of Regione Campania Vincenzo De Luca, and the Ministry of Culture, Gubitosi spoke to corporate groups: “I’m waiting for you. And if you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you in September.” Into play many projects, like a campus for young boys and girls to be formed in cinematic professions, and studios for audiovisual productions. Gubitosi also dwelled on Giorgia, who – by opening the door to her internal world – brought out Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin’s real essence: “Now serial haters are killing her on socials. It’s a disgusting matter that has nothing to do with Giffoni, because what happens here improves the world, while those who behave like this worsen it.”
For Giffoni’s creative director Luca Apolito, the key word is change: “We always say to our jurors that they are explorers, and we invite them to go in all the directions they never took. The topic of this edition was Indispensables, but it’s not only in reference to our youth. What is indispensable is change, a kind of evolution that is part of the journey. Educating about change means learning that there is nothing really static, otherwise, it’s not alive. Because change is life. You change when you are here and that keeps going when you go home. We do not care that young people go away with truth, but with doubts and uncertainty that will open their mind to curiosity.”
Touched the general director Jacopo Gubitosi: “This edition comes after teamwork, that has seen us working in the front line to set up a quality programme. I have been many times in the theatre halls to make sure that the choices made were right. And I have to say that our courage and passion were highly rewarded by the kids’ feedback and by the attention of the media. 7 thousand articles were made and 280 million shares were reported by Ots. If Giffoni wanted to buy all of this it would have taken on an investment of 8 million euros.” He also announced that the 54th edition will have a sports section: the Giffoni Sport Village".
Pietro Rinaldi, president of Ente Autonomo Giffoni Experience underlined the value of teamwork: “Giffoni is a complex machine, where everything fits to perfection thanks to our team of professionals. As I often said, youth is not our future, but our present, and each one of them, like each one of us, is essential. My gratitude goes to the many families that have opened their doors to young boys and girls from all over the world.”
