Giffoni Film Festival, Gubitosi passes the baton: "Let poetry guide you to change the world."

The numbers are record-breaking. But in this case they carry less weight. Because #Giffoni55 was an explosion of joy, creativity, sharing, emotion, as well as numbers. And emotion was the key word that served as the virtual soundtrack to the press conference in which Giffoni founder Claudio Gubitosi officially handed over the baton to his son Jacopo , general director, and Luca Apolito , artistic director.

The news had already been released in recent months, but hearing the words and looking into the eyes of the protagonists of this new Giffoni revolution means a lot to everyone. For those who have worked there for a long time. For those who have even touched upon it. For those who participate with ever-increasing enthusiasm, as evidenced by thousands of emails, messages, and hugs. An extended family, where love reigns and one great rule: value the professions, but above all, the uniqueness. This morning I was in the theaters talking, as usual, with the jurors. I was struck by a young man from the Elements +10 section who said to me: Director, don't abandon us. The time has come to step down as director, but I'm calm, and you should be too. My team has grown tremendously over the years and has all the skills to carry forward, with decisive hands and vision, this extraordinary Italian story that I invented 55 years ago. I won't abandon anyone, and today I feel light. The gray sky accompanies this sweet melancholy ," said Gubitosi. " I confess, this was an edition unknown to me, in the sense that our great Giffoni returned with all the confidence possible and a very solid network of relationships. I also made the wrong assessment at the beginning, because this is the new, great, splendid Giffoni. I consider myself a happy man. And I leave the directorship with no small premise: we counted, but the figures are not yet definitive, at least 30,000 people a day. This Widespread happiness makes me proud, it pushes me with even greater conviction to believe that the world can and must change. We are the place of listening, and everyone who has passed through here has been touched by this year's theme, Becoming Human. We have reached over 900 million people worldwide. "To my son Jacopo ," continued the founder of Giffoni, " I pass the family baton as general director. To Luca Apolito, as artistic director. I am confident that they will be able to best manage this enormous amount of activities that unfold throughout the entire year. By November, Giffoni will become a Foundation. I leave you with one message: sacrifice, love, open eyes, availability to everyone. And poetry, because without poetry you get nowhere and you certainly cannot safeguard the uniqueness of this splendid anomaly."

Amid applause and tears, Jacopo Gubitosi then spoke: “We knew it, but you're never ready for this. We dedicated our morning to meetings with the jurors, hugs, and smiles, because this has always been and will always be our hallmark. This year, I asked everyone to make a major effort, because we had a fantastic program, and it was exactly what our boys and girls wanted. We gave it our all and overcame difficult challenges. Every year, we're asked to break away from a format and give more and more, because we're a constantly evolving process, and we'll continue to do so. After all, if everyone is infected by this energy, it means we're moving in the right direction. We're a big family, and that makes us special.”

Luca Apolito focused his speech on the feeling of falling in love, almost like love at first sight, that binds everyone who sets foot in Giffoni to a project that is much more than a festival. "Over 55 years, many generations have shared their stories in a constantly evolving flow. We are constantly becoming human, to quote the theme of this edition, and we don't like the criticism leveled at the younger generations. They are witnesses to change, a change that affects all of us, the world around us, and that will guide us into the future."

Pietro Rinaldi , president of the autonomous body Giffoni Experience, was moved: "From being a juror, I became president. This alone is enough to make you understand my connection to Giffoni, which is home to thousands of young people, but also to a team of great professionals. Giffoni is identity, it is culture. Above all, it is an idea that will never die."

Some statistics: 320 guests in ten days; 7 million Facebook views; 16 million Instagram views; 1.816 million impressions from the Italian site and 255,000 from the English site; 200 reports on the main national and local networks; 533 articles published in national, regional, and local newspapers; 3,833 news items covering websites and agencies . A powerful narrative, just as powerful as this authentic Italian story, which still has a long way to go.