Georgia granted rights to host children’s Giffoni Film Festival in 2015
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Georgia is gearing up to host its version of the Giffoni Film Festival, one of the largest children’s film festivals in Europe.
The Georgian National Film Centre (GNFC) announced Georgia had gained the right to host a local version of the Giffoni Film Festival, which is regarded internationally as one of Europe’s most prestigious film festivals for children.
Tbilisi, Georgia will host its own version of the event from October 16-19, 2015. Meanwhile the original festival will be held for the 45thtime in the small town of Giffoni Valle Piana in southern Italy in mid-July.
Each year the festival is held in Italy but over the years some countries have been grated the rights to host their own version of the festival as a way to engage more children in filmmaking and the film industry.
To prepare for the Georgian festival, the GNFC and the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection invited a team from Italy to come to Georgia and helo organise the Giffoni Georgia film festival.
Locally, about 500 children from eight countries will take part in the Georgian four-day film festival, where they will watch participating films, learn about the filmmaking process, judge the films and award the best films with prizes.
GNFC has cooperated with the Giffoni Film Festival since 2013. Last year GNFC financed the travels of three Georgian youngsters to Italy where they acted as Jury members at the Giffoni Film Festival,” said GNFC.
The Festival is unique in that its Jury members are only children and youngsters. Every year thousands of children watch films, discuss them and name the best films.”
The program was already being devised for the Georgian festival, said GNFC. The program would include the screening of several films, discussions, meetings with filmmakers and actors, as well as workshops and other additional activities.
Meanwhile, Georgia has selected 11 young people as Jury members for the 45th Giffoni Film Festival, which will be held in Giffoni Valle Piana from July 17-26.
Since the film festival’s establishment in 1970, the event has gained international recognition as Europe’s leading children’s film festival.
A Giffoni Film Festival organiser said: "For over 45 years the festival has acted as a sounding board for cinema production destined for children and young people. It represents the ideal place for vivacious confrontation between filmmakers, producers and distributors.”