Five Grads from Young Chicago Critics Fly to Giffoni Festival for Fun, Sun, & Film

Five Chicago teenagers will get the chance of a lifetime from July 15th through July 25th, 2005 when they become jury members for the acclaimed Giffoni Film Festival in Italy. Now in its 39th year, Giffoni has long distinguished itself as a place where kids – and their opinions about movies – really count.

Young Chicago Critics graduates Charlie Schmidlin, Michael Cunningham, Raven Evans, Dane Shubert, and Abbey Wolfenson auditioned to take part in this exclusive program this past spring. Selected from among many qualified applicants, these five students demonstrated exceptional abilities to critique film. All five Giffoni delegates graduated from the Young Chicago Critics program, presented by the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and Facets Multi-Media.

This fab five will fly to Italy and begin a 10-day immersion in international film criticism. This year’s jury alone features representatives from over 20 foreign countries and a total of more than 1,000 participants. The students will view and actively critique two feature films a day, meet with national and international filmmakers and stars, and make lasting connections with other budding film critics from around the world.

“I love watching movies,” proclaims Dane Shubert, age 14, “but I’m most looking forward to meeting hundreds of other representatives from around the world who love doing this as much as I do.” All five of the YCC alums will participate in the Free to Fly Jury which includes kids from 12 to 14 years of age. Throughout their stay, the children will be lodged with host families in the Giffoni area, fully immersing themselves in the Italian culture.

Nicole Dreiske, Director of the Children’s Programs at Facets Multi-Media, notes, “This is an incredible experience for our young delegates. They have the chance to test their skills in a forum of their peers, engage new cultural experiences, and demonstrate their considerable knowledge about film.”