The founder, on the closing day of the event, gives an extremely positive preliminary assessment of the edition and announces his action to restore funds from the Ministry of Culture.
“What happened in Giffoni over these days was something magical. I knew that the program, which my entire team and I launched on July 9th, represented one of the greatest creative, organizational and economic efforts ever made. From the first day, I felt a strong energy that I had never registered in previous editions. My experience made me realize immediately that we were witnessing objectively extraordinary passion and participation”. This is how Claudio Gubitosi, founder of Giffoni, begins his account of #Giffoni54 during the closing press conference of the fifty-fourth edition of the Giffoni Film Festival, held this morning at the Giffoni Multimedia Valley.
“Those who were in Giffoni over these days found a town in celebration”, continues Gubitosi. “Thousands of families, girls and boys happy and excited, wonderful young people who followed all our proposals attentively, from Impact to +18 up to the new section dedicated to Sport, which gave us another opportunity for development and growth. We opened new spaces to many young people who, thus, approached Giffoni. Social well-being is the expression that best conveys what happened here, what was felt over ten wonderful days. Happiness and beauty, and once again, Giffoni was the capital of it all.”
Gubitosi dedicates special thoughts to the Impact! section: “250 young people chose to spend their vacations here, from 10 in the morning until 9 in the evening. They met and engaged with many personalities, addressing significant themes and focusing on important values: they talked about wars and the situation in Palestine, discussed religion, faith, science, politics, industry and culture in general”. But the Giffoni experience doesn’t only affect the young: “Everyone who was at Giffoni brought a piece of themselves, and when our guests left, they sent enthusiastic messages. Both those who had been here before and noticed the growth and those who had never been here”.
Gubitosi shares some figures of #Giffoni54: “Over three hundred guests from culture, science, politics and arts, all present and confirmed, over fifty directors of the competing films, 120 films all accepted with great respect and, moreover, the previews and the numerous, truly numerous social projects where we gave space and attention to those who work for and with young people, especially those with special needs. My assessment is extremely positive. This makes me happy”. In short: “Quality, determination, understanding, friendship among boys and girls from 35 nations through the jurors”.
After the assessment phase, the founder moves to acknowledgments: “Now the festival is over and I have the duty to remind you that it was made possible thanks to an initial, significant funding from the Campania Region, which President Vincenzo De Luca managed to recover from his own funds in May. He promised and delivered”. Then, he addresses “the problems and challenges we faced”. Although, he specifies, “it’s hard for me to add something negative to concepts of joy and happiness”.
So, here’s the account: “During these intense days, I maintained complete inner tranquillity, but now I have the duty to inform you of the action taken by Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, solely against Giffoni. As you well know, last year, eight ministers of the Meloni government came to Giffoni. And this year, I renewed the invitation to those government members whose presence I considered necessary for enriching the dialogue between institutions and young people. President Meloni thanked me for the invitation but couldn’t attend due to her institutional commitments in Italy and abroad. The same goes for ministers Fitto, Crosetto, Nordio, Valditara, Calderone”.
However, the participation of some government members was not lacking: “We had the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, in a live connection who, despite departing for Brazil, didn’t want to miss the appointment with us. Also, yesterday was an intense day spent here by the Minister for Sports and Youth, Andrea Abodi, who is a very active person and minister, understood from the first moment the mutual potentials we could harness. I thank him and the Department for Youth Policies and the entire team for how all the planned activities were carried out”. Gubitosi adds: “For projects related to FAMI, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, sent us a very heartfelt and intense video message. Yet, even this year, after several promises, the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, who should be the reference minister for Giffoni, missed the call once again”.
Therefore, the detailed account: “Let’s start with the facts. For years, Giffoni has responded to the call for grants for film and audiovisual promotion activities. Our project has been deemed very valid by the commissions evaluating the proposals, often ranking first with funding reaching 950 thousand euros last year. Being a call, there have never been any interferences, as is obvious. What has always been rewarded is the quality of our project and the number of initiatives undertaken. This is unmatched by any other cultural and film event in Italy”. But what happened this year? “For the first time since this type of intervention exists, the Ministry of Culture imposed a cap of 400 thousand euros as the maximum grant. Up to this point, nothing to complain about, except that the call was published in July, just a few days before the festival started, causing us surprise and great concern. Looking at the rankings of recent years, more than one suspicion arises. What are the projects that have exceeded 250 thousand euros in funding over the years? Only one. And that is Giffoni, which in the last five editions of the call, as mentioned, received support of almost one million euros annually. That’s why – he attacks – I don’t think I’m wrong in calling this call a ‘punish-Giffoni’ call. This obviously causes us an evident financial and economic problem, even more serious because it impacted this year’s edition, something that has never happened in our history, a history that has been going on for over half a century, an Italian story known worldwide, a story to be proud of, built year after year, brick by brick. Without anyone ever giving us anything”.
Gubitosi also explains “the reasons behind this punish-Giffoni decision. The issue – he says – is political. My responsibility would have been siding with the President of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, regarding the lack of transfer of Development and Cohesion Funds. According to some, I should have remained silent instead of highlighting, as I did, the difficulties and problems that even Giffoni could have due to the lack of fund allocation, risking, as happened to many other activities, to close”. So, the question: “Is it possible that after 54 years of honourable career, I should have accepted that for one year Giffoni might not take place? Should I have kept silent? Impossible. Unacceptable. I decided to side with my Region. I decided to defend Giffoni. I decided to defend its history, an idea made in Italy, rooted in a South that creates development. I acted in the interest of young people and an entire territory that has grown, developed and lives around this great project. What else could I have done?”.
The founder of Giffoni also makes an important clarification: “In these months, we worked in silence, without any certainty, to create a memorable edition of the Festival. We succeeded. I never allowed myself to express a judgment or criticism against President Meloni or Minister Fitto or Minister Sangiuliano. Because institutional respect is sacred to me”. However, Gubitosi does not hide his regret for the absence of the Minister of Culture at Giffoni: “If Minister Sangiuliano had accepted the invitation, he would have had the chance to see our reality firsthand and understand what has been achieved over these years, thanks to the Development and Cohesion Funds. What transformation of the territory has occurred thanks to these resources, which have created conditions for new economy, new wealth, new employment. Far from being ephemeral and clientelist investments, as the Minister often labels cultural interventions in Italy. This also includes certification from Nuvap, the Public Investment Evaluation and Verification Unit at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which gave full marks to our programming and investments. And the study conducted by Deloitte on the value of our brand”. Gubitosi highlights the contradiction: “It’s a bit paradoxical that while on one hand, the economic value of the Giffoni brand – estimated at over 71 million euros annually – is crystallized, the Minister, instead of considering our uniqueness, that of a Festival promoting cinema and culture twelve months a year, decides to penalize us with this unjust cut, in a year when the fund for festival contributions remained identical to last year”.
The creator and founder of Giffoni continues: “With this decision, the Minister of Culture cuts funds to young people, families, Italians. And this is truly unacceptable. President Meloni and some Ministers of her Government are aware of this absurd stance. And now you all know because it’s right that everyone knows our goal: we want Minister Sangiuliano to return what was taken from us. We appeal to Minister Sangiuliano to restore those conditions of feasibility. It’s obvious that we had already committed all the funds to make this edition possible because we couldn’t have imagined such a radical cut just days before the festival. Yet that is what we have endured. Unjustifiably”.
Having illustrated the situation, Gubitosi moves on to his appeals: “This situation of precariousness must end and I appeal to parliamentarians from every political force to intervene in whatever ways they deem appropriate. I also ask for an amendment to the upcoming State Budget Law to provide for a fixed annual allocation. It is the most appropriate way to free us from this condition of precariousness and uncertainty”. Moreover, Claudio Gubitosi announces his next concrete action: “In recent months, I have repeatedly requested meetings and appointments with the Minister, often even scheduled ones. Always cancelled by him. I am not lacking in patience. For all these reasons, in the coming days, I will go in front of the Ministry of Culture, in front of what I consider to be my home, and I will stay there until I receive assurances from Minister Sangiuliano. With the only weapon I have, which is my story, my age and what I have been able to accomplish. I will not move from there until I have confirmation that the funding will be restored to us”. And again: “I will do it, just hours after the closure of this splendid edition of Giffoni, because I strongly believe in the value of dialogue. I consider the respect of institutions to be sacred, even if sometimes it is the institutions that do not respect us”. Therefore, the conclusion: “Giffoni is a heritage for everyone, it belongs to everyone and it is right that everyone is informed about this matter that seriously threatens our stability, our future. This is why I ask everyone to spread this news and to raise awareness in the Government about this unbearable injustice”.
Gubitosi’s words are echoed by the president of the Giffoni Film Festival, Piero Rinaldi: “Thank you, Claudio, for your determination. This year’s edition of the festival has been unique, full of turbulence and uncertainties. But you convinced me and everyone”. He adds: “It was a well-organized festival, I saw people smiling, families and young people eager to participate. Our event involves all of Italy and the world and it was unimaginable to suspend it. Politics will have to accept it, Giffoni can’t be cancelled or suspended”.
The general director, Jacopo Gubitosi, instead, focuses on the great novelty represented by Giffoni Sport: “This year it has given a new essence to the project we have been carrying out for 54 years. It was a great edition, with many guests, many activities and a beautiful open-air arena created thanks to the collaboration with Sport e Salute. It was wonderful – he emphasizes – to see the kids in a calm and safe place. It was wonderful to see how much Giffoni was needed this year”.
Also present was the mayor of Giffoni Valle Piana, Antonio Giuliano. Not only does he praise the fifty-fourth edition of the festival and show enthusiasm for Giffoni Sport, but he fully supports Gubitosi’s battle: “Giffoni is a single force, a single entity. The city – he says, addressing the founder of the Giffoni Film Festival directly – is grateful to you and I, as mayor, am honoured”. And again: “Gubitosi has influenced the institutions with the culture of cinema, of young people from all over the world. Tomorrow morning, I hope that Minister Sangiuliano will come to Giffoni to shake your hand because you deserve it, because Giffoni deserves it, because there are the jurors, the families”.
