A really hard selection to choose 98 works out of 4200 titles

The stories of the films in competition at Giffoni Experience 2015 (17-26 July) are various and intense: 98 titles including features, shorts and documentaries, were selected for the competitive sections out of the over 4.200 works viewed by the artistic direction. The films will be watched and assessed by over 3.600 young jurors from 52 Countries (including Australia, South Korea, France, Jordan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria, the USA) who will be split according to their age group into various sections (Elements+3 for children aged 3 to 5, Elements +6 for children aged from 6 to 9, Elements+10, for children aged from 10 to 12, Generator+13 for youth aged  from 13 to 16, Generator+16 for youth aged from 16 to 17, and Generator+18 for youth aged from 18 onwards).

The youngest jurors ELEMENTS+3 will sit for and joyfully scream for 24 shorts including the italian The Mods, directed by Alessandro Portincasa, Antonio Padovan, plus various particularly frisky Russian and American animated productions: A Fistful of Presents by Cole Clark (USA, 2015), A Little Star by Svetlana Andrianova (Russia, 2014), Bear And Bird by Dan & Jason (USA, 2014),Bounce by Rory Lowe and DC Barclay (U.K., 2015), Broken Wand by Anne Yang and Michael Altman (USA, 2014), Can I Stay? by Paige Carter, Onyee Lo and Katie Knudson (USA, 2015),Captain Fish by John Banana (France, 2014),Counting Sheep by Frits Standaert (Belgium, 2015), Fridge Princess by Michelle Oh, Tale Do, Ruby Xia, Mauricio Castano, Airin Budiman, Michelle Oh, Ruby Poon (Canada, 2015), Hard to be a Sparrow by Dariya Vyatkina (Russian Federation, 2014), Herman’s Heart by Anne Kristin Berge (Norway 2014), Ivan and the Wolf by Anna Levinson (Germany 2015), Ladybug by Marina Karpova (Russia, 2015), The Law of the Jungle La Loidu plus by Pascale Hecquet (France/Belgium, 2015), Lea and The Forest Pirates byMaria Avramova (Sweden, 2015), Lune by Toma Leroux and Patrick Delage, (France, 2014), Oh, My Goddess! by Pei-Chia, Tsai (Taiwan, 2015), Papa by Natalie Labarre (USA, 2014),Schwammerlbert by Pia Auteried (Germany, 2014), The Search for the Monster of Lake QS by Sarah LynneReul (USA, 2015), Sky High by Stewart Powers (The U.K. 2015), The True Knight by Dominika Brodowsk(The U.K. 2014), Waves in the Sky by Gildardo Santoyo del Castillo (Mexico, 2015). To top it all, two European feature films out of competition: Raven The Little Rascal – The Big Race by Ute Von Munchow Phol (Germany, 2015) and Minnie and the Mozzies by JannikHastrup and Flemming Quist Moeller (Denmark, 2014) where the two directors describe a delicate issue like bullying with magic nuances for children.

Friendship, bravery and determination stand out in ELEMENTS +6. Starting with How to Steal a Dog (2015, South Korea), by Sung-Ho Kim distributed by 9ers Entertainment, which is about the moving and incredible adventure of two little girls who must help the mother of one of them to find money to  rent a house at last. While Amazing Wiplala (Holland, 2014, produced by Boss Bros and distributed by Attraction Distribution) - directed by Tim Oliehoek, tells the story of the fantastic encounter of a family with a tiny wizard who will bring confusion and changes in the household. Rainbow (2014) - from India directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Kukunoor Movie - is about aa journey in the pursuit for happiness for two siblings, brother and sister, through a little village that can turns out to be generous, magic and cruel at the same time. In Ghost Hunters – On Icy Trails by Tobi Baumann (Austria, Germany, Ireland, 2015, distributed in Italy byNotorious Pictures). The protagonists are Eleven year old Tom and his friend Hugo, a harmless ghost  found in the basement who is  in  desperate need for help. It is set in 1900, against the backdrop of an orphanage where the head mistress forces children to work in a factory. Monkey Business from A to Z by Johan Nijenhuis (Holland, 2015). Two Italian films in competition too: Grotto by Micol Pallucca (Italia, 2015 – produced by Thalia Film) and The Games Maker (Italia, Argentina, Canada, 2014), directed by Juan Pablo Buscarini, with Joseph Fiennes and Valentina Lodovini, (international distribution Cinema Management Group, Italian distribution De Angelis Group). Six shorts in competition: Me Buddy, Muhammad by Eleanor Walsh(Ireland, 2014), Zero by Tony T. Datis (France, 2014),The Fly by Marco Di Gerlando (Italy, 2015), The Present by Jacob Frey (Germany, 2014), Vitello digs a hole by Dorte Bengtson (Denmark 2015), The Wish Fish by Karel Janák (Czech Republic, 2015).

Tales shifting from fantasy and reality in ELEMENTS +10. Paper Planes (Australia, 2014), distributed by ArclightFilms and directed by Robert Connolly is about the passion of a boy for flying and his journey to take part in the paper planes world championships in Japan. The focus is on the effort to rebuild the father and son relationship (Sam Worthington, Jake Sully in Avatar, Giffoni Experience 2010 guest). In Labyrinthus (Belgium, 2014) by Douglas Boswell, reality and the virtual world clash: a boy finds out one of his peers is captive in a video game and  realizes he needs to save her.

Birds of Passage (France, Belgium, 2015, international Attraction Distribution) by Olivier Ringer, is about the heart breaking friendship between Cathy and her friend Margaux, forced on a wheelchair. The two little girls will risk their lives to save a duckling. The Shamer's Daughter by Kenneth Kainz (Denmark, 2015) is about Dina, the shaman's daughter: who inherited her supernatural power through her mother and can see through the soul of people sometimes making them feel ashamed for who they are. In Adama by Simon Rouby (France, 2015), a brave  twelve year old crosses a first world war stricken Europe in despair but at the same time with the poetic eyes of childhood. Amir is the protagonist of My Mother's Blue Sky by Ali Ghavitan (Iran, 2015): he has lost his father and lives with his mother, together they work in a little coal mine.

Last but not least Mara and the Fire Bringer by Tommy Krappwies (Germany, 2015) a film about adventure and magic. Mara struggles to understand the nature of her disturbing visions. In the short films competition: Two left feet by Isabella Salvetti (Italia 2015), The Alchemist's Letter by Carlos Andre Stevens (USA, 2015), Hursit by Selcen Yilmazoglu, (Turkey, 2015), Johnny Express by Woo Kyungmin (South Korea, 2014), The Wanderer by Emmanuel Moscoso (Argentina, 2015), The Red Thunder by Alvaro Ron (USA, 2015), Fare Thee Well by Mattia Venturi (Italia, 2015).

In GENERATOR +13: the themes go from typical teenage dreams moving at the beat of great rock music, to more delicate ones like coming to terms with losing someone. In Beatles (Norway, 2014, Norwegian Film Institute) - based on the book with the same title by Lars Saabye Christensen and directed by Peter Flinth (FAKIREN FRA BILBAO, presented at GFF 2004) -  we come across four kids who in 1960's Oslo dream about becoming like the Beatles. In The Beat Beneath My Feet (U.K., 2014, Spotlight Pictures) by John Williams with Luke Perry, known for a leading role he played in BEVERLY HILLS 90210. Tom, a lonely teenager, dreams about becoming a rock star, but is frustrated by his single mother who is a fervent catholic. One day a mysterious stranger moves in the same building on the floor below and starts playing rock music 24/7. Tom finds out the man is Max Stone, former guitar player of rock band "Nothing", who has been missing for some years and presumed dead. Delicate chords and notes are hit in Thread Of Lies (South Korea, 2014, CJ Entertainement), directed by Lee Han. Hyun-sook is the widowed mother of two teenagers, she struggles  for her children's education and tries to make ends meet working for a huge store in the food chain. Suddenly tragedy strikes her life when her younger daughter, Cheon-ji, kills herself without an apparent reason and without leaving a note. Struggling with  her feeling of guilt and rage and without knowing why Cheon-ji killed herself, she cannot come to terms with her great loss. We see long flashbacks showing us the young victim being bullied at school. Lea Pool, is one of the most important Canadian directors and already winner in Berlin, Chicago, Sarajevo, Toronto and Giffoni in 1999 with EMPORT-MOI. The Canadian director is back in Giffoni with her The Passion Of Augustine (Canada, 2014, Seville International). The film is about Mother Agostina, a nun who comes across as a very strict person but is in fact soft at heart and manages with wisdom and determination a college in the countryside of Quebec, while the "Quiet revolution" is taking place. The story is set in the 19th century. Marie’s Story (France, 2014, Indie Sales, distributed by Mediterranea Productions in Italy) directed by Jean-Pierre Améris, (LES ÉMOTIFS ANONIME, 2010). The films is based on a true story and it is about a humble artisan and his wife who struggle hard to make contact with their deaf, dumb and blind born daughter. Their daughter is unable to communicate with the world arund her therefore they send her to the Larnay Institute in the centre of France, where catholic nuns run a school for deaf and dumb girls.

Sanctuary by Marc Brummund (Germany, 2015) is set in 1968: Rolling Stones, trousers with flares, mini-skirts, sex revolution. Wolfgang, a fourteen year old rebellious spirit is sent to Freistatt, a foster home for troubled youth. You're ugly too by Mark Noonan (Ireland, 2014) is about pain and trust: Will, an ex-convict, gets to leave jail to look after his grand-daughter Stacey, following her mother's death.

First teenage anxiety for a generation in GENERATOR +16. In Other Girls (Finland,2015, Finnish Film Foundation) directed by EsaIlli, four teenage girls must face the challenges of their coming of age. The story is inspired by a series of disquieting subversive, controversial video diaries made in 2011 by 4 youth from Helsinki. In Max & Lenny (France, 2014, Alpha Violet), directed by Frederic Nicolas, Max is a young illegal immigrant girl from Congo who comes across Lenny in Marseille. Lenny is a quiet teenager involved in drug smuggling; The two become very close and their bond is made even stronger by their struggle for survival which will give each of them a different view of the world around them. Francois Begeaudeau, director of LA CLASSE Palme d’Or in Cannes, is one of the authors. Contrasting emotions in Nena (Hollanda/ Germany, 2014, Key Film production, Mountain Road Entertainment Group international distribution). The 16 year old protagonist directed by SaskiaDiesing is torn between her father Martin's suicide attempt and her crush on Carlo, a baseball player. Far from the tactless eyes of adults who must come to terms with broken marriages, the two kids go beyond the boundaries of their friendship and find themselves living an intense passion for one another. Maisie Williams is reknown for her role as Arya Stark in HBO hit series Game of Thrones, and is the leading player in The Falling (U.K., 2014, Independent) directed by Carol Morley; it is the story of a troubled teen who wants to investigate into the causes of a mysterious epidemic that has broken out in the school she goes to. The story is set in 1969 England, in a world on the brink of a revolution. In Standing Tall by Emanuelle Bercot (France, 2015, distributed in Italy by Officine Ubu), Malony, an abandoned child, keeps going back and forth from juvenile court, however things take a dramatic turn when he meets Tess, a really special girl  who gives him a glimmer of hope. Your Tiger by Cyprien Vial (France, 2014) is about integration. Many, is a seventeen year old Indian boy from Punjab the French government has taken care of. He sets an example for integration in fact he spends his time with his friends, his girlfriend Elisabeth and at  school, without losing touch with his Sikh community. All The Wilderness by Micheal Johnson ( USA, 2014) is the story of James, a troubled teenager who got lost in the wilderness of his  mind: He struggles to face his father's absence and creates a world of his own.

The struggles of dealing with loss or disability are the recurrent themes of some of the titles chosen for GENERATOR +18. the oldest jury of the festival. Lou Howe makes his debut as a director in Gabriel (Usa, 2014, Preferred Content).The film tells the story of a troubled youth who believes he will get better by getting back together with his first lost love. Rory Culkin is in the film and Lou Howe highlights the problems communities have when it comes to understanding mental disability. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Ireland, 2014,Cinemavault) by Patrick Ryan owes its name to a Bruce Springsteen album; it is the story of a teenager with a murky past who wants to avenge his sister's death who had gone missing and was eventually found murdered in a public toilet. Chess is at the heart of The Dark Horse (New Zealand, 2014, Seville International) directed by James Napier Robertson - distributed in Italy  by Kock Media - in which a former champion who is bipolar becomes the coach of  a chess team for the rehabilitation of troubled youth. Indian actress Kalki Koechlin plays Lalia a girl with cerebral palsy in Margarita, With A Straw (India, 2014, Wide Management) in which director Shonali Bose shows us the daily struggles the girl must face. Like all teenagers she has passions, she plays and writes electronic music she falls in love and betrays.

Astragal by Brigitte Sy (France, 2014) is a stylish and refined black and white biopic by French poet and writer Albertine Sarrazin. The title of the film is taken from one of her novels (Astragal) of 1965 and it is also the name of a foot bone (ankle bone) that Albertine breaks while she runs away from prison where she is being held for theft when she is 19. Coin Locker Girl by Jun-Hee Han (Korea 2015) is about Il-young, a little girl who was abandoned soon after she was born in a metro station inside a safety box in Chinatown, where years later she comes across a woman that everybody refers to as “Mum”, a boss of the mob who welcomes her as a daughter. Last but not least Fatima by Philippe Faucon (France, 2015). It is the story of a lonely mother who has to deal with two teenage daughters, Souad and Nesrine, to whom she tries and give the best of futures. Fatima works as a housemaid and cleaner and works terrible hours impossible to bear. One day she falls off the stairs and not being able to work any longer, she starts writing in Arabic everything she was never able to say to her daughters in French.

Meeting, crossing paths for various generations and ages is the main theme of the short film section in GENERATOR +18 with nine films: Boys (Pojkarna) by Isabella Carbonell (Sweden, 2015), I do well to remember by Cesar Roldan (Spain, 2015), Lukas & the Aspies by Anders Gustafsson (Denmark, 2015), Throw Me to the Dogs by Aaron Dunleavy, Joseph Ollman (U.K., 2015), Share by Pippa Bianco, (USA, 2014), Pitahaya by Albert Espinosa (Spain, 2014) and three Italian shorts Carvina by Luca Marcionelli (Switzerland, 2015),Point of view by Matteo Petrelli (Italy,2015), La Malaerba by Mirco Valenza (Italy, 2015).

There are also 11 animated shorts in competition in GENERATOR +18: About a Mother (Про MAMY) by Dina Velikovskaya (Russia, 2015), A single life by Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins & Marieke Blaauw (Netherlands, 2014), Beach Flag by Sarah Saidan (France, 2014), Carface (Autosportraits) by Claude Cloutier (Canada, 2015), Digital Native (JoojehMashiniجوجهماشینی)  by Mahboobeh Mohammadzaki (Islamic Republic of Iran, 2015), Disrupted by Alicja Jasina (USA, 2014), Juan and the cloud (Juan y la nube) by Giovanni Maccelli (Spain, 2014), Mechanick by Margherita Clemente, Lorenzo Cogno, Maria Garzo, Tudor Moldovan (Italy 2015), My Grandfatherwas a cherry tree by Olga Poliektova, Tatiana Poliektova (Russia, 2015), The Wait of May (L’Attesa del Maggio) by Simone Massi (Italia, 2014), Yùl and the Snake (Yùl et le Serpent) by Gabriel Harel (France, 2015).

Integration, terrorism, genocide, are some of the main themes of the GEX DOC section. Warriors From The North (Denmark, 2014, Danish Film Institute) by Søren SteenJespersen and Nasib Farah focuses on terrorism. The two directors tell us more about the Somali group Al-Shabaab which gathers young muslims who find it hard to fit in Denmark and who eventually decide to join terrorists.Greta Klingsberg, is a Holocaust survivor. Brundibar Revisited by Douglas Wolfsperger (Germany Republic, 2014, Douglas WolfspergerFilmproduktion) faces genocide with reference to Brundibàr a work for children. The work was represented at the Terezin-Theresienstadt labour camp, between 1943 and 1944, as a sign of anti-nazi protest. In Wolfsperger's work a bunch of kids in Berlin stages the play and goes to Terezin/Theresienstadt  to find information on the horrors of the Third Reich. The work is self-produced. All The Time in The World by Suzanne Crocker (Canada, 2014), investigates on the need to detach ourselves from hectic lives overloaded and crammed with technology, so as to  start getting in touch with people again, with yourself and with your natural environment,  children need to get in touch with parents again, children with nature. The Circus Dymasty by AndersRiis-Hansers (Denmark, 2014)is about making feelings and work "work" together. Benny Berdino owns one of the most important circuses in the world and dreams about his grandson, Patrick Berdino, keeping his dinasty alive through an apparently arranged marriage. In Finish Line (Spain, 2014) by Paola Garcia Costas is about a father and his daughter affected by Rett syndrome. They take part in a marathon to attract people's attention towards this devastating yet still unknown disease. Last but not least Protagonisti Per Sempre (Italy, 2014) by Mimmo Verdesca,silver ribbon winner for best documentary in 2012, in which the director travels in time from neo-realism to This day and age focusing on the enfant prodige of different ages. The highlight is on the protagonists of well known films such as "Ladri di biciclette/Bicycle Thieves", "La ciociara/Two women", "La vita è bella/Life is Beautiful", who narrate about their experience beside some of the most praised and appreciated directors in the history of filmmaking.