Penultimate day of screenings and events at the 25th Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, the most important event dedicated to the fantasy genre, which will conclude on Sunday, November 2. On Saturday, November 1 the Trieste festival will celebrate a special anniversary: join us at 5:15 p.m. at the Teatro Miela for a screening of “ Jumanji” by Joe Johnston, which will be screened in its dubbed version to mark the 30th anniversary of its theatrical release. An unforgettable fantasy adventure starring the beloved Robin Williams, which skillfully blends wonder, suspense, and emotion, creating a visual universe that combines the adventurous spirit of ’90s cinema with a subtle reflection on the themes of growing up, courage, and destiny.
Also at the Miela at 11:00 will be held the world premiere of the 4K-restored version of " Sideral Cruises" by André Zwobada, a stellar gem from 1942, a science fiction work that is naive and a pioneering work that highlights the figure of a female scientist and anticipates the themes of Interstellar by a full 70 years, inviting a candid reflection on the capitalist drift of space travel.
At 3:00 p.m. at the Rossetti it will be time for the Italian premiere of “Redux Redux” by Kevin and Matthew McManus (United States, 2025), a genre-bending science fiction film centered on a mother seeking revenge who travels through parallel universes aboard a time machine purchased on the black market. Also at 3:00 p.m. the program then moves to the Teatro Miela with the second and final selection of short films competing for the Méliès d’argent, European Fantastic Shorts Vol. 02. At 5:15 p.m. at the Politeama Rossetti, a screening will be held in collaboration with I Wonder Pictures of “Arco” by Ugo Bienvenu (France, 2025), a surprising animated film starring little Iris, who must help a mysterious rainbow boy return home. The event will take place at Rossetti at 8:00 p.m. with the international premiere of “Orion” by Jaco Bouwer (United States, 2025), winner of the Asteroid Award in 2021 for the eco-fantasy horror film “Gaia,” here tackling an intense sci-fi thriller in which a counterintelligence expert is tasked with interrogating an astronaut suffering from amnesia to discover who killed his crew. At 8:00 p.m. everyone is invited to Miela for the Italian premiere, in the presence of the producer and in collaboration with the TOHorror Fantastic Film Fest, of “Kombucha” by Jake Myers (United States, 2025), a sci-fi film in which the TV series The Office meets the direction of David Cronenberg with a healthy dose of corporate satire centered on physical mutations, mental alienation, and corporate perversion. Also on Miela at 10:15 p.m. is the Italian premiere, once again in collaboration with the TOHorror Fantastic Film Fest at “Dog of God” by Raitis and Lauris Abele (Latvia, 2025), which, from the land of the hit “Flow” they are bringing to Trieste in person a stunning rotoscoped animation that “faithfully” recounts the most famous trial of a werewolf in Northern Europe. Also at 10:15 p.m. at the Rossetti on the schedule is the Italian premiere, in the presence of the director, of “The Restoration at Grayson Manor” by Glenn McQuaid (Ireland/Australia, 2025), a caustic and irreverent LGBTQ+ sci-fi comedy that combines ”The Hands of the Other" and Universal’s Monsterverse, telling the story of a wealthy playboy who, after a bizarre accident, has mechanical hands implanted that are controlled by his subconscious. The final screening on Saturday, November 1, will take place at Miela at 12:30 a.m. with the Italian premiere out of competition of “Hold the Fort” by William Bagley (United States, 2025), a wild supernatural comedy that blends suburban irony with hellish monsters, in which a quiet suburban neighborhood becomes the target of a demonic invasion.
There are also countless events dedicated to literature: the award-winning science fiction writer Ted Chiang, author of the short story “Story of Your Life” which inspired the cult film “Arrival” by Denis Villeneuve and one of the world’s most influential figures in the field of artificial intelligence, on Saturday, November 1, at 5:00 p.m. at the Sci-Fi Dome in Piazza della Borsa, she will explore the theme of language alongside linguist Vera Gheno in the discussion “"Wor(l)dbuilding—Creating Universes with Words”. Also Dolki Min, an enigmatic South Korean artist and writer, will be in Trieste on Saturday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m., at the Sci-Fi Dome in Piazza della Borsa for the presentation of her novel “In forme” (add editore), a queer, sensual, and caustic book that unmasks our notions of the body, identity, and pleasure, through the clear-eyed perspective of one who is not human. The event will be moderated by writer Nicoletta Vallorani.
Don’t miss the second edition of the Mondofuturo Literary Prize, an award for the best science fiction book—original and untranslated—published in Italy in 2024: the three finalists for the second edition of the Prize are: “Anticaja Canaglia” by Cobol Pongide and Emiglino Cicala (Edizioni Progetto Cutlura), “Cronache dalla deriva” by Carlo Roselli (Zona 42) and “Nero. Il complotto dei complotti” by Luca Giommoni (effequ) will be presented on Saturday, November 1 at the Sci-Fi Dome. Also Saturday, November 1 at 9:00 p.m. at the Sci-Fi Dome the highly anticipated FantaQuiz will take place—a no-holds-barred quiz night—skillfully hosted by Diego Castelli and Jacopo Cirillo of SerialMinds—featuring television, movies, and nerdy anecdotes. Teams must consist of three or four people and can register at this link: https://forms.gle/aqDPguwXGqc4fMMu8.
TS+FF 25 – Day 5
