Director Claudio Gubitosi has presented the citizenry with the programme of the 48th edition
“Welcome to the new Giffoni, less bureaucratic and cold, finally human, capable of making us look at what’s beyond a simple e-mail or a delivery.” With these words, full of sentiment, the director Claudio Gubitosi greeted the 5600 jurors and their families; the same jurors that in less than a week will be the soul and heart of the 48th edition of the Giffoni Film Festival, scheduled from July 20 to 28.
For the first time, veterans jurors and giffoners participating in their first edition, finally met in the square in front of the Multimedia Valley, a state-of-the-art facility unique in Italy, ready to open its gates to the development of the territory, in the service of the talent of the new generations.
Together with their families, children, teenagers and young adult, were welcomed in the facility that in the next few days will be hosting meeting and activities created for them.
“We started a fully-fledged revolution – adds Gubitosi – the next three years will be important: a journey that will take us to the fiftieth anniversary of Giffoni, with a keen eye on themes of global importance such as the environment, nature and the safeguarding of the planet. In a few days you will see brilliant minds present you with many projects. When bound together by such a strong common thread, it is impossible not to imagine that collective problems do not belong to us. Our goal is to teach giffoners the correct use of such precious resources as water, air, and earth”.
The care, affection and support that Giffoni has always shown to families, especially to those form the Picentini area, have always been the heart of the Festival, and now are also the marks of a new era.
“Let’s start here: the Multimedia Valley represents an evolution – he continues – and when I first stepped inside it I told myself ‘the first part is done, now let’s start again’. It took 33 years to build these two unique facilities: the Cittadella del Cinema and today, finally, the Multimedia Valley too”. And why not, we have in mind to complete the work with services tailored to the needs of the thousands of young people who will animate Giffoni Valle Piana. “We realise that many girls and boys do not have a driver's license or a car. To make reaching Giffoni, and the many activities put in place by it, easier, I’ve been thinking for a while about the possibility of creating a light rail. It will take another 13 years, perhaps, but I'm sure we’ll make it happen; we have a good relationship with time and we are sure that politics will not leave this need unanswered.”
To receive a warm welcome, it was also the news about the many people that will make up the 2018 edition: “To my left you can see the faces of the 80 boys and girls that will be with you the next days; they are the monitors, who will take care of the juries during the screening of the films in the competition, always the heart of the Festival. Many are also the Meet the Stars planned for the giffoners: just one minute after the launch, the applications received were over 5000. In addiction, a selected few of the Music & Radio masterclassers, will have the possibility to experience a trial period in a broadcasting stations like Radio 105, our media partner.” He also adds: “We have announced in Salerno an important parterre and no name is out of place, starting with those of the international guests. What better occasion to give our youth for having an honest and deep debate with government representatives? How to talk about sport with Giovanni Magalò, president of Coni, or discuss about eco-mafia and agro-mafia with those that have been fighting against them for years.” Then, an invitation to the parents: “During the Festival there will be an INPS info point where you can request, without queuing, explanations on your contribution status. It is also dedicated to families the ‘Parental Control’ Hall that, in the next years, will become a permanent facility, connected to out exhibition rooms.”
Moved by this new accomplishment, the Mayor of Giffoni Valle Piana, Anonio Giuliano, has also wished to address the crowd: “You are an integral part of this immensely satisfying accomplishment – he says emphatically – the Multimedia Valley is proof of what happens when institutions work. Giffoni is an example, not only for the many cultural activities that are being promoted, but also for many other excellent sectors. We completed the construction of the Ostello della Gioventù in Terravecchia and made the splendid location available for the Masterclasses. I want to thank all those that will work during these 9 days to make this edition a safe experience. In Giffoni there’s no end point: once the Multimedia is completed, we’ll start with our plans for the second lot. A project created to give your children in the next years a place to meet, grow up and mature. You are our pride and joy.”
The final greeting were entrusted to the Giffoni Experience president, Pietro Rinaldi: “Today, a great number of people finally enter this new structure, and the activities that will accompany children and young people will be many. We first want to thank the families and express our gratitude for the hospitality that they give to those kids that, during the days of the Festival, become ‘sons and daughters’ before being jurors. We also need to acknowledge and thank the Campania Region, which has made available to our jurors additional transportation at a special cost. The beginning of a new journey to live intensely together awaits us.”
Thousands are the giffioners who, after the meeting, have finally wandered the classrooms of the Multimedia Valley. Welcomed by the jury team, after having collected the kits that will accompany them on this new journey, there is only one certainty: the countdown for the 48th edition of the Giffoni Film Festival has started and nothing will ever be the same. This is truly the beginning of a new era.
