Ready for takeoff is the 25th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, Italy’s most important event dedicated to all forms of the fantasy genre, which will run through Sunday, November 2.
Organized by the center for film and audiovisual research and experimentation La Cappella Underground, the festival brings the best fantasy-genre productions to the big screen, featuring over50 world, international, and national film premieres in the presence of directors, actors, and writers from around the world. For its 25th anniversary the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival is preparing for a special edition, bringing the best of international science fiction to the big screen in preview screenings, along with a packed schedule of events spanning film, literature, exhibitions, video games, and new technologies—as always, striking a perfect balance between science and science fiction.
“ The festival team has worked tirelessly to put together a one-of-a-kind program for our 25th anniversary” – said Festival Artistic Director Alan Jones – “25 years of curating the best of science fiction for our loyal and discerning audience, which grows with every edition. The Trieste Science+Fiction Festival remains the only film event in the world entirely dedicated to fans of the genre, and we take our role very seriously: to always bring you surprising new voices, an innovative program, and bold choices. So this year, expect the unexpected: must-see blockbusters, eccentric indie films, thought-provoking documentaries, unusual classics, and world-class celebrity guests to celebrate 25 epic years.”
The event opens on Tuesday, October 28 at the Politeama Rossetti at 8:00 p.m. with the traditional opening ceremony, followed by the film “The Shrinking Man (“L’Homme qui rétrécit”, France/Belgium, 2025) directed by Jan Kounen, based on Richard Matheson’s cult novel in which a man—played by Oscar© winner Jean Dujardin —following a mysterious exposure—begins to shrink and struggles to survive in a world that has become gigantic and dangerous, which will be screened in an Italian premiere in collaboration with Rai Cinema in the presence of the director. The evening will continue at the Rossetti with the premiere, in collaboration with I Wonder Pictures, of “The Ugly Stepsister” (Sweden/Denmark/Romania/Poland, 2025) by Emilie Blichfeldt, a reimagining of the Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella in the style of body horror, scheduled for 10:30 p.m.
