FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ICFF Junior Announces International Youth Film Expansion Titles and Ramping Up a New Partnership with Giffoni.
9 international films will be featured in the 2017 ICFF Junior’s youth program, with languages originating in Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Tagalog, to be screened daily at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cineplex Yorkdale, Colossus Theatre in Vaughan, and Silver City in Richmond Hill from May 8th – May 13th, 2017, and a new collaboration with Giffoni Film Festival.
Toronto, ON. (March 2, 2017) – In honour of featuring international youth films, ICFF Junior is proud to reveal the film selection for 2017, presented by IC Savings. The following nine films will be screened in their original languages with English subtitles:
L’ami – François D’Assise et ses frères, is a North American Premiere, featuring St. Francis of Assisi and his struggle with re-writing the texts of the New Order and the Church
La Guerre des Tuques was shot in Baie St. Paul Québec, is an intense battle between two 11-year-old opponents who must create liaisons while defending their snow forts
Zipi y Zape y la Isla del Capitán follows devious twins sent to Hope, a strict re-education school where they will not only correct their behaviour, but learn how to forge meaningful friendships
Come Diventare Grandi nonostante i Genitori is an Italian International Premiere, and in collaboration with Walt Disney Co Italy and 3zero2tv, about growing up despite your parents
Blanka a North and South American Premiere, is about a young girl trying to make it on the streets of Manila, who discovers her talent for signing with help from a new friend.
A Té que a Sbórnia Nos Separe is an International Premiere, featuring a story about an isolated country that becomes exposed to a new world when their walls collapse
Le Voyage de Fanny is a Canadian Premiere that depicts a young girl attempting to escape the Nazi regime that’s occupied France. Along with her sisters, Fanny must face great challenges to get out of harms way
Donkey Flies was the winner of the 2016 ICFF Junior, and tells a tale about a young boy in his quest to follow his dream to become a musician. Due to this limited resources, Maurizio has to discover creative solutions along with his trusted confidant, a donkey named Moses
Heidi, a German, Swiss and South American production, is a story of a young girl who becomes close with her reclusive grandfather in the mountainside, only to be uprooted and sent to Frankfurt. Heidi befriends Klara, a young girl confined to a wheelchair, while trying her best to assimilate into a new culture.
The Founder and Artistic Director of the Giffoni Film Festival Claudio Gubitosi, is invited to be a honourary guest at ICFF Junior Film Festival. The Giffoni Film Festival was founded in 1971, and created for children, youth, adolescents and families to promote international films and cultures. It is one of the biggest film festivals in the world for children, attracting name such as Jennifer Aniston, Oliver Stone, and Robert De Niro.
Cristiano de Florentiis, Artistic Director of ICFF Festival: We are pleased to be expanding our youth program, creating ICFF Junior to be an international festival, enabling a number younger cultural communities to interact. ICFF Junior is proud to be offering a variety of youth films in multiple languages, celebrating the diversity of cultures through film while promoting a plethora of learning opportunities.
This year the ICFF Junior youth program, which is aimed at students aged 8-18, and in strong collaboration with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB), will invite 3000 students from over 40 schools to see unique, challenging, and educational local and foreign-language films not usually available to young students.
A new contest for 2017 called “Your Short”, in partnership with TCDSB will also be featured to showcase, support, educate, and inspire the next generation of filmmakers from grades 9 – 12.The winner will receive the Jim Saraco Award, created for the best short film.
About ICFF
Over the past four years, ICFF Junior has successfully organized a film festival dedicated to children and youth, with ages ranging from 8 to 18. The objective is to enable the screenings of youth films in Italian not typically available, to entertain and educate on a cultural level. With over 40 schools and more than 3000 students participating, we are excited to announce the 5th edition of the ICFF Junior, starting May 8th until May 13th, 2017, and is a prelude to the 6th annual ICFF held during Italian Heritage month in June.
ICFF is presented by IC Savings and generously supported by The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Empire Communities, Castlepoint Numa and Cityzen Dominus. It is also supported by major partners: TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cineplex, Cinémathèque Quebecoise, Cinema Guzzo, Cinéma Cartier, the City of Vaughan, the Italian Embassy, the Consulates General of Italy in Toronto and Montreal, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Italian Trade Commission and L’Altra Italia. Media Partners are: RAI Italia, CHIN Radio, Panorama, and MyEtvMedia. ICFF partners are: Ryerson University, Centro Scuola e Cultura, TCDSB, YCDSB, TFCA, ICCO.
ICFF Jr Contacts
Giorgio Mitolo – ICFF Media Relations – gmitolo@icff.ca
Mia Foley – ICFF Media Relations – mfoley@icff.ca
Joseph Cafiso – ICFF Junior Director – junior@icff.ca
