Giffoni Georgia: Hundreds welcomed to youth film festival

One of the largest children’s film festivals in Europe is coming to Georgia for the third time, bringing with it hundreds of young participants together for two days where they can learn all things about cinema from leading film executives.

From tomorrow Georgia will host the third annual Giffoni Georgia Youth Film Festival.

Hosting 350 young participants aged 13-18 from Georgia, Italy, Macedonia, Croatia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the festival will run for two days in capital Tbilisi.

Film screenings and meetings with actors and directors will entertain and educate the young guests while talks and workshops related to the film industry will round off the diverse program of the 2016 event.

The festival features jury teams comprised of young members reviewing films and actors featured in the program. Photo from Giffoni Georgia/Facebook.

This year’s Giffoni Georgia will be hosted at the Kakha Bendukidze University Campus, while the Georgian National Film Centre worked hard to organise the event.

The festival aimed to promote "cultural and educational development and communication between young generations using cinema", said organisers.

The focus on education will be evident in the workshops that teach young people the art of film animation, scriptwriting, cinema posters and more.

Meanwhile jury teams comprised of young members will deliberate films screened at the two-day celebration.

The two-day occasion will involve talks and workshops on all things cinema. Photo from Giffoni Georgia/Facebook.

Over the two days award-winning Georgian film directors and actors will meet aspiring young enthusiasts and discuss with them all things about the cinema industry.

Georgia is the only country in the Caucasus region granted the right to hold the Giffoni Film Festival. Georgia first hosted the occasion in 2014 and has held annual events since.

The inaugural festival involved 250 young cinema enthusiasts, while the 2015 edition saw about 500 young people attend the event.

Supporters of the Giffoni Film Festival in Georgia include the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and the Embassy of Italy in Georgia.

The international festival was first held in Italy in 1971.