From October 28 to November 2, the best of science fiction cinema returns to Trieste. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival will showcase the finest in fantastic film from around the world – with over 50 premieres, an impressive lineup of international guests, and a packed programme of special events.
Organized by La Cappella Underground, this milestone edition will light up the Politeama Rossetti with world, international, and Italian premieres, alongside three competitions featuring directors, actors, and authors from across the globe. Beyond the big screen, the festival also celebrates the many worlds of imagination – from video games and literature to comics, music, and visual arts – offering audiences a galaxy of experiences that explore “the wonders of the possible”.
Festival Director Alan Jones expressed his excitement, stating, “For the 25th Anniversary edition, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival has curated a diverse and multifaceted program that will once again innovate, challenge, thrill, amaze, and ultimately entertain. True to its unique mission, the festival showcases the imaginative works of both new and established filmmakers, artists, and writers from around the world, who are always eager to passionately discuss their work, both on stage and off. As always, regardless of where these vivid imaginations lead us, the contemporary world remains in focus, as the ever-evolving sci-fi genre continues to reflect on the pressing issues of the present from the perspective of an extraordinary future.”
The opening film will be L’Homme qui rétrécit (The Shrinking Man, France/Belgium, 2025) by Jan Kounen, adapted from Richard Matheson’s classic novel. Starring Jean Dujardin (below), the film follows a man who begins to shrink after a mysterious contamination, battling for survival in an ever-expanding world. The Italian premiere will take place on Tuesday, October 28, at 8:00 PM at the Politeama Rossetti, with the director in attendance.
The evening continues with The Ugly Stepsister (Sweden/Denmark, 2025) by Emilie Blichfeldt – a bold, body-horror re-imagining of Cinderella – screening at 10:30 PM in collaboration with I Wonder Pictures.
This year’s guests of honor are Gabriele Mainetti, acclaimed director of They Call Me Jeeg Robot, Freaks Out, and The Forbidden City, who will serve as president of the Asteroide Award jury, and Ted Chiang, the celebrated author of Story of Your Life – the inspiration for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival – and one of the leading voices on artificial intelligence and the future of humanity.
All talks will take place under the spectacular Sci-Fi Dome in Piazza della Borsa – the beating heart of the festival’s off-screen events.
Head to https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org for more information.
Source: Strike Media
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