There is so much curiosity, so much enthusiasm that arises among the young boys and girls who are eager not to miss this opportunity. Some are still looking for the most appropriate creative idea to convey their message; others have formed work teams; still others are in the final stages and seek from the Salesians the ideas or clarifications necessary to finalise the works.
The central organisation team of the festival reminds them all that the DBGYFF 2024 edition is open to all young people from all over the world, from 14 to 25 years old, of any nationality, religion, creed and culture and without distinction of belonging to Salesian settings or not; that the theme of the shorts must address the issue of dreams and youth commitment in relation to the environment and climate change; that youth can participate in any one of the different categories (2-minute shorts, 5-minute shorts, 5-minute animated films, 5-minute music videos and 10 -minute documentary); and that a total of 120 thousand euros of cash awards are planned, distributed as follows: 15 prizes for the best shorts globally; 70 for the best shorts at the regional level, 9 for category awards, 7 for the best young people and 5 prizes of the jury.
The festival will be held on 17 and 18 October 2024, as usual in a multitude of places in over 100 countries around the world; but applications must be made by 31 July.
Currently the central organisational team of the festival is engaged on various fronts and is proceeding with the final composition of the two juries, the preliminary one and the Grand Jury. "It is a really enriching experience for me to be able to collaborate in the preparation of the festival," young Salesian Fr Thomas William Deepak, Coordinator of DBGYFF, told ANS. "At this stage we are gathering the support of the various members of the juries, all qualified and competent people in the sector, and seeing their enthusiasm and their willingness to lend their talents for free at the service of young people around the world is something that moves me."
And while the organisational work proceeds at central level, in the different Salesian places around the world the animation and production activities with young people advance. From the Province of Campo Grande in Brazil, Euclides Brites, the Delegate for Social Communication says, "In our Province I see many young people excited for this festival: there is a desire to participate and make our point of view known, on a topic that here, in the missions in Brazil, we really feel our own. The Salesians are also actively involved and we are preparing to create numerous venues for the implementation of the festival for next October."
Also from the American continent, but in the Central American region of the Antilles Province (ANT), the SC Delegate, Fr Juan Pablo Abreu adds that "We are giving ample prominence and good promotion to the festival among the boys and girls with whom we come into contact: we are all eager to see how they will interpret this theme so relevant to all of them, and I am convinced that our young people will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to express their dreams through these films."
In Southeast Asia, from Cambodia, belonging to the Province of Thailand (THA), Salesian Fr Albeiro Rodas notes, "I know for sure that our young people are already working on different projects. One of the projects is a movie about the dream of John Bosco portrayed in the Cambodian rural life. The reference to the importance of young people dreaming is an aspect that we really like and last year in Cambodia already received two awards. This is why we are very actively promoting DBGYFF!"
Jacque Nagalo, SC Delegate for Southern West Africa, echoes him from Togo: "There is great fervour among our youngsters; we are eager to create our own projects and I am sure they will also have positive feedback. Three awards came to our Province last year."
"I am personally involved in the promotion of DBGYFF, especially through social media, and I see that the response from young people is high and qualified" says Fr Eugene Dickson, SC Delegate for the Province of Bangalore, India (INK). "I see interest, participation, questions about details and to better prepare for this competition that focuses on their active role and their dreams for a better world. I really hope that thanks to this festival the efforts of so many of our young people can have meaning for so many people around the world."
Finally, says Fr Harris Pakkam, the director of the DBGYFF Film Festival: "As I follow the development of the festival step by step, in each of its stages I realize how this project is continuously growing and I can already sense the great impact it will have in Salesian provinces and among young people.. I am sure, also seeing what has been done so far, that there will be at least a thousand boys and girls who will participate, and through them the whole world will be able to admire their desires to make a better world. Don Bosco will certainly inflame their hearts and inspire their works."
To discover all the information and for further information about the festival, it is possible to visit the website www.dbgyff.com or write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
