12/07/2011

The 41st edition of the Giffoni Film Festival, a celebration of cinema dedicated to young people, which takes place in Giffoni Valle Piana (Salerno) until July 21, opens today with a premiere ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]. After a marathon screening of all the previous episodes (18 hours in total), the festival will tonight show the eighth and final chapter of the saga about the most famous little wizard on the planet, which is out in Italy on July 13 and will distributed on as many as 1,000 screens by Warner Bros, of which 500 will be showing the film in 3D.

But aside from Harry Potter, Giffoni has much more on offer. Headed by Claudio Gubitosi, the event, the overarching theme of which this is ‘Link’ this year, will show 145 film (58 features and 87 shorts) which will be scrutinised by a jury made up of 3,300 young people (300 more than last year) aged between three and 23, from 51 countries (including Afghanistan, Qatar, Nigeria, Romania, Russia and Ukraine) and 150 Italian cities.

Premieres will include Almeno tu nell'universo, directorial debut by 22-year-old Andrea Biglione, the animated film Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension , the comedy Mr Popper’s Penguins with Jim Carrey, and an extract from Box Office 3D - Il film dei film, the first Italian 3D film directed by Ezio Greggio, out nationwide on September 9. July 15 will see the screening of Un italiano a Hollywood, a documentary by Rai journalist Tonino Pinto about producer Dino De Laurentiis, and that of Kung Fu Panda 2 on the 16th.

Guests include various notable characters from Italian cinema, from Valeria Golino (expected today) to Hilary Swank and Edward Norton, as well as Luciana Littizzetto, Donatella Finocchiaro, Valentina Lodovini, Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo, Paola Cortellesi and Russian director Andrei Konchalovskij. The opening day will also see a masterclass held by buoyant TV presenter Paolo Bonolis, who will also meet the jury.

(Translated from Italian)