Giffoni honours five German titles
The 38th Giffoni International Children’s Film Festival (July 18-26) honoured five German films (out of the four features and three shorts presented).
The young jury of the "Free to Fly" section (12-14-year-olds) awarded the two main prizes to German films. Armin Völckers’ Leroy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (produced by Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduktion) won the Golden Griffin for Best Feature. The film centres on the eponymous hero who, although German, has a skin colour that is not to the liking of his girlfriend’s parents.
The Silver Griffin for Best Short Film went to Andreas Utta for Felix. Meanwhile, Jochen Freydank won the ANEC (National Association of Italian Film Exhibitors) Gold Medal for his short Spielzeugland. Set in 1942, the film tells the story of a German mother who warns her son that the little Jewish boy nearby will soon have to leave for the "land of toys", only to discover one morning that her son has disappeared along with the neighbours.
In the "First Screens" section (9-12-year-olds), the Golden Griffin was awarded to Red Zora, by Prague-born director Peter Kahane. Adapted from Kurt Kläber’s children’s book and produced by Studio Hamburg International, the feature is set in Croatia in the 1930s and centres on a 12-year-old boy whose mother has died. The protagonist sets out in search of his father and joins a group of intrepid orphans led by a red-haired girl.
Finally, Luigi Falorni’s Heart of Fire – which screened in competition at this year’s Berlinale – received the Amnesty International Award.
(Translated from French)
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