The Giffoni Film Festival has had a $1m budget increase (70% from public organisations, 30% from private sponsors) for this year's event which runs from July 15-22.

Sharon Stone and Oliver Stone and expected to be among the guests at the event which celebrates its 30th birthday this year. The festival, which is the only one featuring a jury made up entirely of school children, has seen its popularity grow since its launch in 1971 and has helped revitalise cinema awareness in the Campania region of southern Italy.

Campania has benefited from several recent initiatives, including the $7m Citadel of Cinema, a film and media centre now under construction and due to be opened in 2001, and the establishment of a cinema library of film heritage from the region. Meanwhile Giffoni is planning a series of screenings of films not yet picked up by Italian distributors at schools and youth associations.