Ethnic discrimination, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sport as redemption and an opportunity for growth, the difficulties of being parents and children, the discovery of sexuality and the beauty of not recognizing oneself in a label: these are just some of the themes addressed by the first titles chosen for #Giffoni54, scheduled from 19 to 28 July 2024.
The theme of the 54th edition of the festival is The Illusion of Distance: a choice that wants to highlight a paradox, indicating the dangers of the sense of isolation with the fear of the other, of the different, of the distant, with the deception of feeling separate. An invitation to rediscover the paths, to discover the invisible bonds that exist, despite the apparent divisions, to reveal how incredibly close we are, inextricably united.
The works in competition to date come from Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, USA.
Feature films, short films and documentaries will be viewed and voted by over 5 Italian and international jurors, with a delegation from over 30 countries. The jurors will decree the winners of the Gryphon Award. Here are the first titles:
ELEMENTS +6 (6 to 9 years old)
Friendship and respect for animals are at the heart of THE CHAOS SISTERS FEAT. PENGUIN PAUL by Mike Marzuk (Germany/Belgium/Italy – distributed by The Playmaker Munich). The director is known in Giffoni for The Famous Five (winner Elements +6 in 2012) and The Famous Five 2 (which triumphed in the same section the following year). Chaos has four names: Livi, Tessa, Malea and Kenny. The sisters have nothing in common, except their last names, but something will soon change. The reason is Paul, a penguin who is kidnapped from the zoo, but manages to escape to the girls' house. The sisters will soon discover that the Magician Duo organized everything, with the aim of making the penguin part of their show. And again HÅKAN BRÅKAN 2 by Ted Kjellsson (Sweden – festival contact Swedish Film Institute) the director has already presented at the festival Alone in Space (Elements + 10 in 2019). In this new adventure Håkan Bråkan wants a pet, but he will have to prove himself responsible. The first test will be to spend a week in a scout camp without causing chaos. But there are thieves and he finds a treasure map. A completely different story is told in TOTTO-CHAN: THE LITTLE GIRL AT THE WINDOW by Shinnosuke Yakuwa (Japan – distributed by Toho Global), famous for having directed some films of the beloved Doraemon saga and more than 70 episodes of the series. The work transports us to Tokyo during the Second World War, in an ideal school that combined learning, fun, freedom and love. The facility uses old train carriages as classrooms and is run by an extraordinary man: Sosaku Kobayashi, a fervent supporter of freedom of expression.
ELEMENTS +10 (10 to 12 years old)
Integration, sport, courage, self-discovery: these are the starting points of the feature films competing in the Elements +10 section. We meet Mona in WINNERS by Soleen Yusef (Germany – produced by DCM Pictures and Boje Buck Produktion) who, together with her family, fled from Syria to Berlin. The eleven-year-old starts attending an elementary school known for the presence of “foreigners”. Chaos reigns supreme in the institute. The little girl can barely speak German, but she knows how to play football. A teacher recognizes Mona’s talent and selects her for the girls’ team. This gesture does not make things easier: playing on a team with the other girls turns out to be more complicated than expected. Each of them is fighting her own battles, but one thing soon becomes clear: they will only win if they play together. It is a return to Giffoni, instead, for Ineke Houtman who has already presented Polleke at the festival (Free to Fly in 2004); The Indian (Elements +6 in 2010) and My Grandpa the Bankrobber (Elements +10 in 2011). This time it's the turn of THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING (Netherlands – produced by Kaap Holland Film and FATT Productions). The actress in the film, Aiko Beemsterboer, is the protagonist of the Netflix production “Anne Frank, My Best Friend”. Thomas has a very strict and ultra-religious father, who rules his family by punishing his wife and children when they get out of line. The boy has an imaginative approach to faith: he has long talks with Jesus and tries to appease his father with the same plagues that Moses unleashed on the Pharaoh of Egypt. Unfortunately, these have no effect, in fact they make things worse. Until Thomas, thanks to the help of his neighbor, a kind “witch”, discovers a passion for music and books. KENSUKE'S KINGDOM, the first work by Kirk Henry and Neil Boyle (UK/Luxembourg/France – distributed in Italy by Movies Inspired, international distribution Cinema Management Group), is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo. Young Michael and his family embark on a sailing trip around the world. When a storm hits, he and his dog Stella are thrown overboard and end up on a remote island in the Pacific. But he soon realizes that someone is watching them and helping them survive. The closing section for the moment is LARS IS LOL, the first work by Eirik Sæter Stordahl (Norway – distributed by TrustNordisk, festival contact Norwegian Film Institute). Eleven-year-old Amanda is reluctantly assigned to look after her new classmate, Lars, who has Down syndrome. The two develop a unique friendship, but in her struggle to fit in, Amanda ends up betraying Lars, thereby losing everyone's trust. In her quest for forgiveness, the girl must find the courage to stand out and be true to herself.
GENERATOR +13 (13 to 15 years old)
Discovering oneself between feelings and attractions: these are the themes that form the plots of the first feature films presented at Generator +13. We are catapulted into the summer of 1974 with WHEN WE LOST TO THE GERMANS by Guido Van Driel (Netherlands/Belgium – produced by Family Affair Films). It is the day after the World Cup final between Germany and the Netherlands. The streets are deserted and the city is hungover. Jonas meets Daan and even though they are not friends, they decide to spend some time together. After all, for different reasons, they are both looking for their classmate Karsten. In the meantime, Catootje's disappearance looms over the boys like a bolt from the blue. Instead, the debut feature THE MAJOR TONES by Ingrid Pokropek (Argentina/Spain – distributed by Bendita Film Sales) is a fantastic tale filled with music, secret messages and winter atmospheres. Ana is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives with her father Javier, a painter and art teacher. During the holidays, the girl discovers that through the metal plate on her arm due to an accident, she is receiving a strange message in Morse code. The discovery of first love is the common thread in YOUNG HEARTS, the debut feature by director Anthony Schatteman co-written by Academy Award® nominee Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands – distributed in Italy by I Wonder Pictures, international distribution Films Boutique). Elias, 14, feels attracted to his new neighbor Alexander. He soon realizes that he has fallen in love for the first time. Talking to friends and family brings more questions than answers. Confused by his feelings, the boy tries to put order into his internal chaos. We are in Chicago in 1992 in WE GROWN NOW by Minhal Baig (USA – distributed by Sony Pictures Classic). As Michael Jordan consolidates his position as a champion, the story of two young legends begins. Dreamy-eyed and hopeful best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city trying to escape the banality of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, but their unbreakable bond is tested when tragedy rocks their community.
GENERATOR +16 (16 to 17 years old)
How difficult is it to be a parent? And how complicated is it to be a child? These are the questions that form the basis of the works competing in the Generator +16 section. We start with NOT A WORD by Hanna Antonina and Wojcik Slak (Germany/Slovenia/France – distributed by Beta Cinema). When Nina discovers that her son Lars has been injured in an accident at school, she is faced with a dilemma: should she leave her orchestra to be there for him completely? The decision she makes is a compromise: she will leave Munich for five days to be with the boy. Mother and son are forced to confront each other, while Nina is tormented by the thought of sabotaging her career. Misunderstandings multiply, assumptions turn into suspicions: was Lars a witness to a horrible crime at school? Did he also participate? Instead, we are looking for our parents in THE DOG THIEF by Vinko Tomicic (Chile/Mexico/Bolivia/France/Italy – distributed in Italy by Movimento Film, international distribution Luxbox Films). The thirteen-year-old Martin, an orphan and shoeshine boy, comes to believe that one of his customers, Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor, is his biological father. We set off with Fanny on a language exchange in Germany in LANGUE ETRANGERE by Claire Burger (France/Germany/Belgium – distributed by Goodfellas). In Leipzig, the girl meets her pen pal Lena, who is the same age and eager to get involved in political activism. To impress Lena, Fanny invents a different life for herself, but soon becomes trapped in her own deception.
GENERATOR +18 (from 18 years to + ∞)
The themes of the works that make up the selection of films submitted for Generator +18 vary: in AMAL by Jawad Rhalib (Belgium – distributed by Bendita Film Sales), an idealistic and passionate literature teacher at a suburban school in Brussels becomes the target of intense hostility from students, their parents and colleagues linked to Islamic extremism when she chooses to help a teenage Muslim girl accused of not following religious dictates after coming out on social media. The lead actress, Lubna Azabal, was also in the film My Revolution (Generator +13, 2016). In the debut feature SUMMER BROTHER by Joren Molter (Netherlands/Belgium – produced by Family Affair Films and Polar Bear), Brian and his father Maurice live in a run-down caravan park. When the care home offers financial compensation if they will care for Brian’s severely disabled brother Lucien during the summer holidays, Maurice immediately accepts. Brian takes responsibility for the boy and they become real brothers. But as the situation worsens between Maurice and his creditors, the caravan is no longer a safe place for Lucien, so Brian is forced to make an adult decision. And again in WEREWOLF by Pau Calpe (Spain – produced by Galápagos Media and Dacsa Produccions) the delicate theme of marginalization and diversity is addressed through the use of symbolism that refers to popular beliefs about werewolves… It is a return to Giffoni, instead, for the director Hisham Zaman who at the festival has already presented Bawke (short – section Confini 2007) and Before Snowfall (Generator +16 in 2013). Three teenage friends in A HAPPY DAY (Norway – distributed by Reinvent Int'l Sales, festival contact Norwegian Film Institute) are stuck in a freezing and hopeless place, but devise a plan to escape through the mountain to a world where their dreams can come true. But when one of them falls in love, their plan begins to unravel. A work that skillfully mixes magical realism, dark comedy and surrealism.
GEX DOC (section dedicated to teachers, parents and filmgoers)
Ethnic discrimination, war and alliances, choices and courage: these are the main themes of the works selected for the GEX DOC category. KIX by Bálint Révész and Dávid Mikulán (Hungary/France/Croatia – distributed by East Silver Caravan) is a 12-year odyssey that follows Sanyi, from a lively child on the streets of Budapest to a confused teenager. The documentary tells the story of the evolution of the boy's life marked by family struggles, school problems and an uncertain future. And again, the debut work BOYZ by Sylvain Cruiziat (Germany – distributed by Rise and Shine World Sales) follows Maxime, Julian and Vilas through their life as students in Munich. With an honest and direct look we immerse ourselves in an intimate male friendship that takes us into their world of love and sex. Also a debut feature is UNTIL I FLY by Kanishka Sonthalia and Siddesh Shetty (India/France – distributed by Taskovski Films). In a Himalayan-Indian village lives a child born to an Indian mother and a Nepalese father. The documentary tells the story of Veeru as he struggles with the profound effects of ethnic discrimination. Born into a village that teases him for his mixed identity, the boy faces incessant bullying and derogatory insults. Rather than fight back, he retreats into his world where nature becomes a refuge. But sometimes it takes very little to change a life. The closing section for the moment is SILENT TREES by Agnieszka Zwiefka (Poland/Germany/Denmark – festival contact KFF Sales & Promotion). When her mother tragically dies in the woods on the Polish-Belarusian border, Runa, a 16-year-old Kurdish girl, must grow up quickly to take care of her 4 younger siblings and a helpless and depressed father. The family copes with the trauma in the refugee camp and slowly tries to build a new life in Poland. Runa's greatest fear is being forced to return to Iraq, where the Kurds face the threat of ISIS. She wants to live like her new European friends and become a lawyer. But just when her dream of returning to school comes true, another threat appears: deportation.
Article published on May 8, 2024 - 15:00 pm
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