The 53rd edition of the Giffoni Film Festival (running 20-29 July), which is one of the leading international events dedicated to films for children and youngsters, came to a close on Saturday. The 6,500 jury members hailing from thirty countries announced the winners of this year’s Gryphon Awards, which were scooped by a short film and a feature film in each of the categories.

In the Elements +6 section, the trophy went to A Cat’s Life [+lee también:
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The Elements +10 category celebrated the triumph of Lioness by Raymond Grimbergen (Holland). The lead character is footballer Rosi, a 14-year-old girl whose footballing talents far exceed her self-confidence. After moving to Holland, Rosi struggles to settle into her new school but her ball skills soon see her welcomed onto the football team. Her successes rouse the envy of the other players, however, and jeopardise her fledgling friendship with Jitte.

The jurors for the Generator +13 section singled out Michaël Dichter’s The Fantastic Three (France) as their champion. The story unfolds in suburban France and follows in the footsteps of three inventive and wilful teens who are forced to come to terms with a bitter reality. They’re isolated and left to fend for themselves, but the energy of youth and the strength of their friendship are on their side.

The Generator +16 section, meanwhile, was won by Olivier Babinet’s Normal [+lee también:
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An Italian title triumphed in the Generator +18 section: Il più bel secolo della mia vita [+lee también:
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Last but not least, the jury for the Gex Doc section, dedicated to documentaries, declared Angelos Rallis’ Mighty Afrin: In the Time of the Flood (France/Greece) its champion. The feature film unfolds in a Bangladeshi village which is home to a 12-year-old orphan girl whose family are forcing her to get married. Determined to change her future, the girl decides to flee to the city of Dacca on the day her village floods for the umpteenth time.

During the festival’s closing press conference, the event’s founder Claudio Gubitosi described this recent edition as “a splendid adventure and a great success, experienced in a happy space”, and announced the dates for the next edition, scheduled for 19 – 28 July 2024. “Once again, Giffoni has proven that it knows how to give the best of itself, in spite of challenges and without ever compromising on its main vocation: staying by young people’s side. […] We recorded 370,000 admissions but, over and above numbers, what matters most to me is the human and social impact, buoyed by love and passion. I witnessed it first-hand every time I walked into an auditorium,” he added.

The full list of winners for this year’s event are as follows:

Gryphon Award for Best Feature Film

Elements +6
A Cat’s Life [+lee también:
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Elements +10
Lioness – Raymond Grimbergen (Holland)

Generator +13
The Fantastic Three – Michaël Dichter (France)

Generator +16
Normal [+lee también:
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Generator +18
Il più bel secolo della mia vita [+lee también:
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Gex Doc
Mighty Afrin: In the Time of the Flood – Angelos Rallis (France/Greece)

Gryphon Award for Best Short

Elements +3
The Merry Go-Round – Augusto Schillaci (Argentina)

Elements +6
The Ghastly Ghoul - Kealan O’Rourke and Maurizio Parimbelli (Ireland)

Elements +10
Loop – Luigi Russo (Italy)

Parental Experience
An Irish Goodbye – Tom Berkeley and Ross White (UK) (short film)

Clear Channel Special Award – Elements +6
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light [+lee también:
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Conai Special Award – Elements +6
Adventures in the Land of Asha – Sophie Farkas Bolla (Canada)

Special awards

BPER Bank Special Award – Elements +6
Coco Farm – Sebastien Gagné (Canada)

Lete Special Award – Elements +10
Lioness - Raymond Grimbergen

EnI Special Award – Elements +10
Popular Theory - Ali Scher (USA)

WeSHORT AWARD – Elements +10
Symphony - Ondřej Nedvěd and Vojtěch Komárek (Czech Republic)

CGS (Italian Youth Sociocultural Film Clubs) – Creative Paths Award 2023 - Generator +13
Juniors [+lee también:
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CGS (Italian Youth Sociocultural Film Clubs) – Creative Paths Award 2023 - Generator +16
Rock.Paper.Grenade [+lee también:
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Acea Special Award 2023 – Gex Doc
Mighty Afrin: In the Time of the Flood – Angelos Rallis