Wrap Up

The Sky Falls (Il Cielo Cade), a World War II drama set in Tuscany, won the top prize at the 30th edition of the Giffoni Film Festival. The film stars Isabella Rossellini and Veronica Niccolai (who won the Best Actress award for her role). The jury, composed of 12 to 14 year-olds, gave a special mention to Purely Belter from director Mark Herman. More than 80,000 people attended the weeklong festival, and two American movies made their Italian debut at Giffoni: Fantasia 2000; and 20th Century Fox's animated film Titan AE.

Overview

The 30th Giffoni Film Festival opened 15 July with celebrities such as actress Greta Scacchi, (Good Morning Babylon), Asia Argento, Italian cinema's "dark and mysterious" female talent, and Samira Makhmalbaf, the promising young director whose film Blackboards won a prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

President Carlo Andria and artistic director Claudio Gubitosi 12 July presented the program that will make up the edition 2000, coinciding with the 30-year anniversary celebration of the Festival, defined by Francois Truffaut as "the most necessary film Festival in the world."

There are four competitive sections, Free to Fly (Liberi di Volare - 12 to 14 age group), Early Screens (Primi Schermi - 8 to 11 age group), Preludes (Preludi - 12 to 14 age group), and Rear Window (La Finestra sul Cortile - 16 to 18 age group), this last is under the direction of Valeria Caprara. There is a total of 63 films in all, a thorough panorama of the best child short and feature film productions the world has to offer. Two big previews will also be presented in Giffoni, animated giants Fantasia 2000, by Buena Vista, and Titan A.E., produced by Fox and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.

Highly anticipated is the non-competitive "Y Generation" section, created with the goal of uncovering what lies beneath the surface of an adolescent's reality. Tackling even such difficult themes as sexuality, the dangerous lure of violence, Internet and paedophilia, this section will include mass media experts, social workers, fashion experts, journalists and even the Member of Parliament, Cultural Affairs Minister Giovanni Melandri.

Numerous showbiz celebrities will also attend the discussion with the hundreds of children who attend the festival. Directors Mario Monicelli and Mario Martone, Giuseppe Tornatore, Francesco Paolantoni and Teo Teocoli, with the collaboration of Fiorello, Lello Arena, Pappi Corsicato, Wilma Labate, Iaia Forte, Christian De Sica and Massimo Boldi, and even the young star who played Giosuè in Life is Beautiful, Giorgio Cantarini. In addition, the young Spanish actor Fernando Ramallo, will be awarded the GFF Young European Talent Award.

The Festival's closing evening on the 22nd of July will be highlighted by a visit from Thora Birch, the sulky brunette of American Beauty, and Claudia Mori, whose presence further emphasises the diminishing gap that exists between films and music. Alternating hosts will conduct the evening's events: Cesara Buonamici and Cristina Parodi, from Canale 5, Camila Raznovich, the host of the Italia 1 programme "Night Express", and will be overseen by entertainment journalist Antonello Sarno.