Body positive, rebirth, freedom to love without labels, disability, friendship, magic, dreams but also family relationships and delicate topics such as bulimia, anorexia and multiple sclerosis: these are just some of the themes addressed by the first titles chosen for # Giffoni2022, scheduled from July 21st to 30th.
There are already 3.400 works in pre-selection that the Giffoni team is evaluating. The deadline for registration is set for next May 31st. The works, to date, come from 25 nations: Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, India, USA, Russia, Sweden, Argentina, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Greece, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Congo.
Feature films, short films and documentaries that will be seen and voted by over 5 thousand Italian and international girls and boys. The jurors will decree the winners of the Gryphon Award.
Three feature films out of competition have been selected to date for the youngest section of the Festival, Elements+3. It starts with Lauras Star (Germany – festival agent Renate Zylla) by Joya Thome. First juror, today she returns to the festival, for the second time, as a director: in 2017 she presented “Queen of Niendorf” in the +10 section.
After moving to the big city, Laura misses her old home a lot and it is not easy to find friends. But one night she sees a little star falling from the sky with which she will start a very special relationship.
It's a return to Giffoni also for Ali Samadhi Ahadi (in 2019 he presented “Pettson And Findus – Findus Moves House”) which, this time, presents Peter Goes to the Moon (Germany), distributed in Italy by Koch Media.
The film tells the story of Peter, a young nerd passionate about space, struggling with the disappearance of Anne, his little sister all pepper and imagination. The journey to find her will catapult him into a new dimension.
Closes Valentina (Spain/Portugal – international distribution Pink Parrot Media) by Chelo Loureiro in his first work, in which we meet a young girl fed up with her Down syndrome that prevents her from realizing her dream: to become a trapeze artist. But a magical journey will reveal to her everything she is capable of doing.
Friendship and magic: this is where the works chosen for Elements +6 start. The selection opens with Detective Bruno (Poland – Dutch Features international distribution) by Magdalena Niec and Mariusz Palej.
The arrogant star of the hit TV series 'Detective Bruno' is an obnoxious and self-centered actor who is about to be fired from the show due to his unpopularity. The 8-year-old orphan Oskar is his biggest fan and wants to be just like his TV hero. On his birthday, the boy receives a mysterious clue to a treasure hunt left by his deceased parents.
And from here a chaotic adventure will begin. We continue with Oink (Holland/Belgium – international distribution LevelK) debut feature by Mascha Halberstad. The protagonist is Babs, 9 years old, who receives a piglet as a gift from her grandfather. What will happen to this adorable puppy threatened by a sausage competition?
Another film in competition is Vinski and the invisibility powder (Finland – international distribution Attraction Distribution) by Juha Wuolijoki. We are in Hömpstad, a fictional town that has been scarred by a crime wave. Vinski, a 10-year-old boy, meets a mysterious pharmacist who gives him a bottle of magic dust, capable of making him invisible and passing through walls.
Coming-of-age stories that will move and make you think: the feature films dedicated to Elements+10 will not disappoint expectations. We are catapulted into the summer of 1994 with Full of Grace (Spain – international distribution Film Factory Entertainment) by Roberto Bueso.
Marina, a rather unusual nun, arrives at an orphanage that is in danger of closing. The beginning is not idyllic, but slowly she will create a bond similar to that of a real family. We meet Sofija in How I Learned to Fly (Serbia/Croatia/Bulgaria – international distribution Pluto Film) by Radivoje Andric.
The girl is forced to spend her vacation with her overbearing grandmother Maria on an island in Croatia. It's not the ideal summer experience, but with the help of her loving old aunt Luce, she will overcome the boredom. It is, instead, a modern fairy tale Last movie show (India/France/USA – distributed in Italy by Medusa Film) by Pan Nalin.
The son of a tea seller at a railway station in rural India, Samay enters a cinema for the first time and is deeply fascinated by it. Also fascinating is the story of Vitya Kasatkin and his hobby for Japanese sumo wrestling in Sumo Kid (Russia – international distribution Attraction Distribution) by Ilya Ermolov.
The boy has been living a dream for years: to take part in the Sumo Junior Tournament in Tokyo, so that his father can see him. Vitya wins the qualifying tournament and gets a ticket to Japan, but a new obstacle puts his wishes at risk. Close The path (Germany – distributed in Italy by Eagle Pictures) by Tobias Wiemann who returns to Giffoni after presenting, in 2017, “Mountain Miracle”.
The film tells the story of an exciting escape through the Pyrenees and an unexpected friendship between two children who, at first glance, could hardly be more different.
The Generator +13 section starts from an Italian work: Paula (Italy/Argentina – distributed in Italy by The Piranesi Experience) by Florencia Wehbe. The story centers on a girl and her hatred for her body. In an attempt to express what she feels, Paula creates a blog and becomes part of a large virtual community that shares her problems. Sheltered in anonymity, she uploads the content recorded with her cell phone, exposing her friends and family.
The feeling of belonging blinds the young woman, who begins to walk a lonely path where bulimia and anorexia nest as alternatives in the search for self-acceptance. Smiling even if your heart is broken: this is the meaning of Comedy Queen (Sweden – international distribution Reinvent International Sales) by Sanna Lenken.
To prevent Sasha, 12 years old, from becoming like her mother who couldn't handle the weight of life and committed suicide, she has drawn up a 'survival list', which contains the following points: don't read books, don't pay attention to anything living and, above all, shave your head. Jaak Kilmi (in 2001 he presented "Christmas in the Jungle" in the Elements +6 section) returns to Giffoni for the second consecutive year, this time with The sleeping beast (Estonia/Latvia – international distribution Media Luna New Films).
The film focuses on Kristjan who spends his afternoons with a group of friends in an old abandoned factory. A strange accident casts a dark shadow over the group and Kristjan has to make a difficult decision. The story of Nour is different, she lives in a working-class neighborhood near the sea: this is where the story begins La Traviata - My brothers and I (France – distributed in Italy by I Wonder Pictures) by Johan Manca, his first work.
The boy is about to spend a summer marked by the adventures of his older brothers and his mother's illness. When he is about to return to school he meets Sarah, an opera singer who teaches a summer course. The meeting will open up new horizons for him.
Two feature films have been selected at the moment for the +16: Heartbeast (Finland/France/Germany – international distribution Kinology) by Aino Suni. The story of Elina, an aspiring rapper who falls desperately in love with her stepsister.
Continue with My Iubita my love (France – international distribution Films Boutique) debut work by Noemie Merlant. Jeanne is traveling to Romania to celebrate her hen party. There she meets Nino and his family. They are worlds apart, yet for the two of them it is the beginning of a passionate summer.
Five titles have already been chosen for the +18 section: it is set on a farm As in heaven (Denmark – international distribution LevelK) by Tea Lindeburg. The film is the story of a night in the late 800s that changes the life of fourteen-year-old Liza forever.
A story about women, about becoming adults, and about never losing hope. At the heart of Holy Emy (Greece, France, USA – distributed in Italy by TVCO International Distribution) by Araceli Lemos in her first work, there are two young sisters, Emy and Teresa who, between religiosity and mysticism, begin a journey in search of their own identity.
Let me hear it barefoot (Japan – international distribution PFF – Pia Film Festival) by Kudo Riho, instead, tells us about the complicity between Naomi and Maki, two young people who seem to run away from their feelings and who get closer when they have to build an imaginary world for the elderly Midori.
It's a different story that of mars one (Brazil – international distribution by Magnolia Pictures International) by Gabriel Martins, where we meet Deivinho, Eunice and Joana, young dreamers who silently lead their lives on the outskirts of a large Brazilian city.
This first part of the selection closes with a film based on a true story, Nitram (Australia – distributed in Italy by I Wonder Pictures) by Kurzel Justin. The boy lives with his mother and father in suburban Australia in the mid-90s.
He lives a life of isolation and frustration that will slowly lead him to take extreme actions. Caleb Landry Jones – the film's protagonist – was awarded best actor at Cannes 2021, while director Kurzel Justin has directed films such as “Assassin's Creed” with Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Irons and Marion Cotillard and “Macbeth” again with Fassbender and Cotillard.
And finally, Gexdoc section dedicated to documentaries based on true stories (section dedicated to teachers, parents and filmgoers). It starts from I am chance (Belgium/France/Congo – international distribution Wajnbrosse Productions) by Marc-Henri Wajnberg which tells the story of Chancelvie and her friends who face the world against the backdrop of an exuberant Kinshasa.
Delicate and exciting, Rosy the forbidden journey (France – international distribution Gaumont) debut work by Marine Barnerias. Marine is 21 when she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis that threatens to leave her partially or completely paralyzed. Determined and full of life, she is ready to go beyond medical advice, traveling the world for 9 months with one thing in mind: reconnect with herself and learn to live with her scleroSIS, her “Rose”.
Article published on May 10, 2022 - 13:03 pm
