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Many events abroad on the agenda to export Giffoni’s brand and values to the world
Giffoni’s missions abroad are back. Giffoni jurors and team members are ready to pack their suitcases and attend many film festivals and events, meet their peers, discover the very best of international audiovisual production, increase their knowledge and export Giffoni’s brand and values to the world, once again living a unique and memorable experience.
Giffoni will set off by participating in the Schlingel – International Film Festival for children and young audiences, scheduled for September 23 to 30 in Chemnitz, Germany. On its 28th edition and directed by Michael Harbauer, the festival offers an overview of the latest international productions in the field of children and youth filmmaking.
At almost the same time, from September 25 to October 1, Giffoni General Manager Jacopo Gubitosi, Head of international relations Anna Falivene and a large delegation of giffoners will be in Tbilisi, Georgia, for the sixth edition of the Taoba Film Festival, which is dedicated to young people and directed by Levan Dvali. At Taoba, young people between 13 and 18 years old will select and evaluate the films presented in each category. Taoba’s goal is twofold: to enhance the country’s film industry and to discover and nurture new talents, giving them an opportunity to meet and fulfill themselves in the wake of their shared passion. The Giffoni team will be also taking part in a special one-day event organized in conjunction with the Italian Embassy, during which the film The Eight Mountains will be screened. Written and directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, the title won the Jury Prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival as well as four David di Donatello awards, including Best Film. Institutional meetings are also scheduled: on Wednesday, September 27, General Manager Jacopo Gubitosi will have the opportunity to talk and exchange views with Italy’s ambassador to Tbilisi Enrico Valvo. “It is a great honor to be present at this event, and I’m happy to be able to share this journey with such an active and passionate team as Taoba’s”, Gubitosi explained. “Festivals like these are a very important opportunity for our jurors to get to know new cultures and new film languages, as well as to live new experiences. Giffoni has always focused on other Italian and foreign scenarios to build bridges, create synergies, grow ideas and projects, and we will continue on this path that has so far borne great fruit”.
From October 5 to 10, Skopje will host the 11th edition of the Giffoni Macedonia Youth Film Festival. Lots of Italian teens will be participating in the festival, which is inspired and organized by Giffoni and held with the support of the Directorate General for Cinema of the Ministry of Culture. The event is realized by Giffoni Experience together with the Macedonian association Planet-M. Its program will bring jurors, cinema and ideas into dialogue. Giffoni Macedonia Director is Darko Basheski, Programmer Director is Dea Krstevska.
From October 16 to 29 Giffoni will be flying to Valencia, Spain, for the 11th edition of the Mice Film Festival, dedicated to cinema for young people, teachers and film enthusiasts. The goal of Mice’s Director Voro Huertas and his team is to promote the use of audiovisuals in education, guiding young people to make creative use of all platforms, in order for them to be more than just passive recipients of information.
From November 1 to 6, Giffoni will also make a trip to Tokyo, Japan, for the Kineko International Children’s Film Festival, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. Giffoni General Manager Jacopo Gubitosi and Giffoni Innovation Hub Co-Founder Antonino Muro will be attending the celebrations. The festival is dedicated to young people aged 3 to 18, grouped into two categories: Children and Teen, who will discover and see audiovisual products from all over the world, in the presence of many guests. The Kineko -which has Mr. Mitsuo Tahira as its Artistic Director and Ms. Keiko Toda as its General Manager- also includes many workshops dedicated to teens and their families. The day before the opening, October 31, the Giffoni delegation will also be meeting with the director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Tokyo Silvana De Maio. “I am proud to have been included in the festival jury”, said Jacopo Gubitosi. “We will attend the opening ceremony and during the screening days an audiovisual production realized by Giffoni Innovation Hub will also be presented. We will also take part in a professional panel on social education and other activities. We have already arranged a meeting with Director Mitsuo and his team with the aim of further strengthening our cooperation”.
From November 8 to 16 it will be the turn of the Ajyal Film Festival in Doha, Qatar, which was founded and promoted by the Doha Film Institute and has always counted on Giffoni’s support and presence. In Arabic, the word Ajyal translates generations, referring to the young people – aged 8 to 21 – of different nationalities who enliven the festival.
Running concurrently from November 8 to 19 in Amsterdam is the IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival. The IDFA is Europe’s leading documentary film festival and the most prestigious and coveted international co-production marketplace. Over the course of twelve days, more than 300 documentaries will be screened for an audience of about 300,000 visitors. A number of industry-focused events will be held as well, including two main market sections: the IDFA Forum and Docs for sale, which is aimed at international distribution. On behalf of Giffoni, programmer Rosario Minervini will be there.
Finally, from November 17 to 25, a Giffoni delegation will be in Gijón, Spain, to participate in the Gijón International Film Festival, which is going to celebrate its 61st edition. Giffoni has been cooperating with this Spanish festival for a long time, and in recent years the relationship has further intensified with the participation of many Spanish young people in Giffoni, and vice versa. The festival aims to present a wide and varied selection of auteur cinema currently being produced around the world, with special focus on innovative films and emerging directors. It is recognized as a specialized festival by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Association). During the selection process, the festival gives special emphasis to world, international and European premieres.
So many organizations, events and festivals wish to partner with Giffoni. Thousands of young people will be involved in the various activities that will be carried out as part of these events and, above all, they will also get to discover and learn more about the activities of the Giffoni Film Festival. Indeed, many of these missions abroad include focuses on the example and story of Giffoni.