Report: Youth Film Festivals in Europe - Inclusivity, Engagement and Education (EFA)

The European film industry knows it needs to nurture a new generation of filmmakers, filmgoers and film lovers to ensure its own continuity. But that’s a task easier said than done, especially in light of fast-changing patterns of media creation and consumption. Youth-oriented festivals across Europe are on the frontlines of these developments, and they’re demonstrating how inclusivity, engagement and education are as essential as access in reaching young audiences.

“We are in an ever-changing society where things move a lot faster than they used to, so something that was hip six months ago is not hip any longer,” says Claudio Gubitosi, the founder in 1970 and ongoing director of the vast Giffoni Experience, a year-round youth-oriented multimedia and educational platform in Italy that encompasses multiple activities, including an annual film festival.

“That’s why you need to keep talking to the kids to keep tabs on what they like and what they’re doing every day,” Gubitosi continues. “Otherwise you get stuck in the past. And what was good for them in the past isn’t good for them anymore.”

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Download the European Film Academy's Spring 2019 issue of Close-Up magazine to read the full article.