Children and young adults will be the absolute protagonists
Giffoni’s 55th edition to be held from July 17 to 26, 2025
The theme that will be guiding Giffoni’s path finally unveiled
Regulations for the 4,500 jurors will be online Dec.
160 films among titles in competition, premieres and special events
250 talents and leading figures from the Italian and international scene
Live music to be back with top national artists and 10 shows
Sports and food formats to be enhanced, “Street Fest” program to be expanded
Becoming humans entails choosing, showing willingness, taking on responsibilities and embarking on a path of growth that can teach us how to cultivate empathy, listening, patience and understanding. It means moving beyond instinct, conformity, cynicism and indifference to build a personal ethic that can stand against the dark forces of our times. It is a challenge, a call to come to define what it really means to be human, which is not a destination point, rather an ongoing journey, a path of transformation and rediscovery of our inner selves and our ability to generate a positive impact in the world. This will be the guiding theme of Giffoni for 2025 and, more specially, of the 55th festival edition, which will take place from July 17 to 26. On the occasion of Giffoni Day, when we celebrate the day Claudio Gubitosi came up with the idea of Giffoni, November 20, 1970, we are announcing the projects of Giffoni’s next edition.
“The theme for 2025 will be Becoming Humans”, explains artistic director Luca Apolito. “We want to explore what it actually means to be human today and how we can become more aware of our roles and responsibilities. By biological definition, we exist as human beings, creatures embedded in a social and cultural setting, shaped by conventions and driven by external forces. But to “be human” as a mere condition of existence, as an inertial status imposed by biology, by inherited cultural milieus or by the expectations of others, is not enough. “To be” implies a static posture, a passive stance in which we simply acknowledge what we are, letting circumstances and conditioning define us. “To become”, on the other hand, brings in an active engagement, a need for change, an ongoing striving toward a higher and more aware condition of humanity.”
JURIES. Once again, the Festival juries will prove to be an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue and a unique experience for thousands of young people, setting aside political, cultural and religious differences. The juries of #Giffoni55 will be made up of 4,500 young people coming from 45 countries and from over 300 Italian cities and towns. As usual, they will be grouped as follows: Elements +3, Elements +6, Elements +10, Generator +13, Generator +16 and Generator +18. Jury regulations will be published on Monday, December 9, and selection of jurors will take place by the end of February. Added to the above mentioned juries are two other sections: Parental Experience, which is aimed at 400 parents, and Gex Doc, focusing on documentaries and real-life cinema. Moreover, 250 young people will be involved in the Workshops +18 , which this year will be entirely dedicated to acting.
“Over the past 55 years, millions of boys and girls have found in Giffoni much more than a festival, that is, a place where they can express themselves, exchange ideas and grow,” adds general manager Jacopo Gubitosi. “Giffoni has never been just a festival, it is an ideal, a bridge that connects generations and cultures, offering everyone the chance to be heard and feel part of something extraordinary. Today more than ever, experiencing the festival means experiencing an event that is able to fit the times, without ever betraying its soul. We will continue to give voice to the dreams, aspirations, and needs of those who see the world with the eyes of curiosity and hope. Because Giffoni is not just intended as something aimed at young people, it is intended to belong to them. Our commitment is to make it even more inclusive, open and innovative, so that every voice can find its resonance, every talent its stage, and every dream its way to become reality”.
The festival activities will pay particular attention to young people who need to enjoy a moment of shared happiness, such as those from the Department of Mental Health of Salerno Local Health Authority, specially focusing on eating disorders and working together with youth from other associations and social organizations. Also, in 2025 again Giffoni will be strongly committed to the issue of unaccompanied minors, jointly with FAMI, the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the Ministry of the Interior, with which there has been a close cooperation for the past two years.
FILMS. Films are a fundamental part of Giffoni: the jurors watch the titles in competition all together and have absolute freedom of expression. They have a different, free voice, made up of passion and purity. The team receives about 4,500 submissions in pre-selection, and only 130 of these works - including feature films and short films - are actually presented at Giffoni. In addition to these are the premieres of the most exclusive films, the launches of the most anticipated series and the greatest special events. Every year, leading majors, television networks and streaming players choose Giffoni as their ideal partner to present their products for preschool, kids, tween, teen and family audiences. Indeed, the festival represents not only an ideal ground for testing new content with the targeted audiences, but also a springboard for communication campaigns that kick off within an atmosphere where true values cancel out glamor and continue for weeks or months up to the official release. In addition to this, there will be evening screenings, which will be free and open to everyone.
GUESTS. Among the things that make Giffoni stand out from other festivals is the special relationship that is created between the national and international guests and the jurors. Unlike many other events, where the artists’ presence is often linked to the promotion of specific films or projects, at Giffoni talent participation stems from a genuine desire to share and talk. Each year, about 250 artists come to Giffoni to engage in genuine, free and direct dialogue with the young people. It is precisely the lack of filters and the authenticity of the interactions that makes the festival experience so special and unique.
IMPACT. Supported in the last two editions by the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi and the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service, the project is in constant metamorphosis, being able to reinvent itself but not to change its mission, offering new generations opportunities that can meet their dreams, demands and expectations. IMPACT! is a free space reserved for 200 young people aged 18 to 30 who want to make their voices heard, to have an influence on changes in their country and, consequently, to have an impact on their own future. It is an invitation to be inspired by the lives of ordinary people who are capable of extraordinary achievements. About 70 protagonists from Italian political, social, economic and cultural life will have in turn the opportunity to listen to these young people and - where possible - provide answers to their questions. “In a society that day after day fails to take care of the needs of this generation, Giffoni responds to words with deeds”, general manager Jacopo Gubitosi says. “Millions of young people see Giffoni as a place where they can meet, discuss, even share their fragilities and fears. Today more than ever, Giffoni is simply unique and will give even more space to their dreams and needs”.
GIFFONI AND SPORTS. The next festival will also be the setting for the second edition of Giffoni Sport, the format launched in 2024 which achieved staggering numbers: 50 Sport Ambassadors had the chance to try their hand at various sports, meet the most important names on the Italian and international scene including athletes, managers, top personalities such as Leonardo Bonucci, Carlo Ancelotti, Piero Ferrari, and Massimo Zanetti, and experience the thrills of great cinema with the screening of the most iconic sports titles. We’ll thus be back with our wonderful village of over 1,000 square meters, which last year recorded 10,000 attendees and where visitors will be able to challenge themselves, try their hand at various sports, get to know many local and national organizations. Passion, fun, inclusiveness: a success that is set to be repeated with Giffoni which, among many other things, will also renew its collaboration with Milano-Cortina 2026.
FOOD. The importance of taste and the art of cooking in all its facets: the Giffoni Food Show has quickly become an unmissable event that guides kids and adults, jurors and visitors amid tradition and innovation. Fifty food ambassadors will be meeting with representatives of the food industry, including Michelin-starred chefs and master pizza makers, as well as participating in workshops on many topics and having the opportunity to experiment and increase their culture through an unprecedented training program. In addition, Giffoni Food Talk will host insightful talks on the Mediterranean diet, on healthy eating habits and on how to tackle food waste.
MUSIC AND STREET. Giffoni is the perfect balance between thrills and beauty, with a view to become human, to embrace wonder, to preserve truth. The 55th edition of the Festival will welcome back Giffoni Music Concept: ten free concerts featuring emerging artists from the Italian music scene and music big names among the most acclaimed by young people. Added to this will be the Street Fest, where shows, theater performances and workshops for children and youth come together with fantasy and special effects, and “Il Posto delle Favole,” where to listen to tales and stories told by film talents and every-day people in courtyards across Giffoni and in the historic Giardino degli Aranci. An estimated attendance of about 250,000 people is expected.
FAMILY. Understanding each other and getting to know each other better are other important goals of #Giffoni55: parents have a duty to delve deeper into the life of their children and the latter must in turn feel free to speak about themselves without fear or reservation. Just imagine a room full of faces, different in age but linked by something deeper, that is, the wish to better understand the person next to them. On one side are the parents, often struggling with the challenges of being present in a fast-paced world. On the other side, their children, trying to find their way through silence, rebelliousness and hidden cries for help. And so, in the hearts of many families a new light can be kindled. After all, it’s not just about improving the relationship between parents and children. It’s about learning to be human together. On this matter, next March Giffoni will be hosting a two-day event in which parents and children, starting with the millions of giffoners, will talk to each other, as simple as that.
HUBS AND AMBASSADORS IN ITALY. 2025 will be marked by increased openness and cooperation with associations, schools, festivals and third-sector organizations operating throughout Italy. The network of national Hubs - the pool of Giffoni partners recently joined by the cities of Alessandria, Taranto, Modena, Florence and Ferrara - will be further enhanced, and the Giffoni Ambassadors will be back in charge. These are passionate young people who, after experiencing the Festival, will be assigned the mission of promoting the brand’s values and activities in their local area. Through the Special Projects Department, Giffoni will also keep on working in eight regions (Sardinia, Calabria, Basilicata, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Lazio, Campania), where projects are already underway in remote and underprivileged areas. Such initiatives aim to counter educational poverty through film culture dissemination and promote awareness campaigns on issues of major importance to the new generations, such as mental health and environmental sustainability. More than 25,000 young men and women will be involved.
GIFFONI IN THE WORLD. From Italy to other countries: initiatives and projects are already planned in several countries, including North Macedonia, Denmark, Spain, Georgia, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Germany, India, Croatia, South Korea, Japan and the UK. Again in 2025, Giffoni will offer young people who have participated in the Festival the chance to enjoy an experience abroad, taking part in international events and intercultural exchanges. Special attention will be paid to promoting Italian cinema and to celebrating Italian masterpieces and artists who have made our country known and loved all over the world.
SCHOOLS. Starting from January 2025, Giffoni will get back to schools with special encounters devoted to students and teachers. The goal is to strengthen the long-standing bond between the Festival and the world of education. This time, it won’t be the young people who will be coming to Giffoni; instead, Giffoni will be visiting them. These events will provide the chance to discuss issues of great importance together and present the opportunities that a brand like Giffoni can offer today in terms of training and employment.
ACADEMY. Giffoni’s “journey” will then continue at the most prestigious universities in Campania and across Italy. Meetings, master classes and workshops at the University of Salerno, the Universities Federico II, Orientale and Parthenope in Naples and the Sapienza University in Rome are already on the agenda. These will be cross-cutting and multi-thematic encounters during which the “Giffoni case” will be examined by students and professors from different departments - economics, sociology, marketing, communications, all the way to cultural heritage and film criticism - to provide an insight into the dynamic and multitasking milieu that Giffoni represents today.
The 2025 program will be presented at the European Parliament in Brussels and at the Italian Parliament, more specifically to the Culture Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. This intense agenda is supported by the Presidency of the Campania Region and governor Vincenzo De Luca.
Giffoni is also currently looking forward to engaging in dialogue with the Ministry of Culture and has planned a meeting with Minister Alessandro Giuli.