Day two of the 25th edition of Trieste Science+Fiction, the science fiction festival running through Sunday, November 2, in the capital of the Julian region. Wednesday, October 29 the day begins with theItalian premiere of “Marshmallow” by Daniel DelPurgatorio (Canada, 2025)scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Rossetti: starring the shy Morgan, who, together with his friends, discovers that the legend of a doctor who turns children into monsters is not just a fantasy, setting off on a dark journey toward a shocking truth. At 3:30 p.m. at the Teatro Miela the short films make their debut with the Fantastic Shortsprogram, the traditional showcase of short films from around the world. At 5:00 p.m. at the Rossetti the Italian premiere of “ Transcending Dimensions” by Toshiaki Toyoda (Japan, 2025), a film that blends mystical fantasy with surreal science fiction, weaving together spirituality, love, and cosmic sorcery. Also at the Rossetti at 8:00 p.m. the international premiere in the presence of the director of “ Affection” by BT Meza (United States, 2025), starring Jessica Rothe, star of the “Happy Death Day,” who stars here in a dark and intriguing science fiction tale in which a woman is grappling with a disease that erases her memory in unpredictable ways. At 10:15 p.m. it will be time for “CognAItive” by Tommy Savas (United States, 2025) , in its Italian premiere at the Rossetti: a sharp sci-fi thriller exploring the growing concern that artificial intelligence will replace humans. Closing out the day on Wednesday, October 29 “The Rows” by Seth Daly (United States, 2025), screened out of competition at the Teatro Miela at 10:30 p.m., where it will be screened in its Italian premiere in the presence of the director: the film stars young Lucy, who wakes up one night in a cornfield being hunted by three masked killers, sparking a struggle for survival in a nightmare of suspense and surreal horror, aided by a dog and a mysterious golden man.
The talks by Mondofuturo are returning in 2025 as well—the series of free-admission conferences organized as part of the Trieste event to engage in dialogue with science popularizers, scientists, and science communicators about the world of tomorrow: a journey through science and imagination, health, identity, the environment, and artificial intelligence to understand who we are and where we’re headed. It begins on Wednesday, October 29 in Piazza della Borsa at the SciFi Dome at 5:00 p.m. with “The Green Tangle – Living in Forests from the Mesozoic Era to Science Fiction,” during which Danilo Zagaria will guide us from the depths of the earth to flying rivers, from prehistory to the future, and help us discover why we destroy millions of hectares of forest every year—from mangroves along ocean coasts to the Siberian taiga. Following that at 6:00 p.m., join us for the discussion “Bad Prevention – How to Defend Yourself Against the Illusion of Living Forever”, in which Roberta Villa denounces those who exploit people’s legitimate fear of getting sick and their natural desire to stay healthy, warning us against the illusion of being able to stop time and the risks of turning health into a commodity—a privilege for the few. Also on Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m., it will be time for “Vertigo. From the First Test-Tube Baby to New Drugs for Obesity: The Future of Health Without Shortcuts”: science communicator and essayist Beatrice Mautino weaves together real stories—from the first “test-tube baby” to the first life-saving gene therapies and on to new obesity drugs—to explain why the temptation to take shortcuts is not a healthy choice. Also on Wednesday, October 29, there will be an event at Miela at 8:30 p.m. featuring the documentary “John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office” by Michael Almereyda (in attendance in Trieste) and Courtney Stephens, who have co-directed a film-essay on the story of neurophysiologist and “psychonaut” John C. Lilly and his experiments with dolphins and psychedelic substances.
Among the new features of this edition is the section Thing To Come, a series of events designed to explore the connections between transhumanism, science fiction, politics, and society. A program offering a critical analysis that weaves together literary works, films, essays, and reflections. Through dialogue with scholars and journalists, we will reflect on the construction of imaginaries through the lenses of futurology and sociology, on the rhetorical deceptions of technological promises, on the limitations of dominant science fiction narratives, and on the possibility of imagining imperfect yet desirable futures, such as anti-dystopias. It begins on Wednesday, October 29 at 11:00 a.m. once again at the Sci-fi Dome with “ The Origins of Transhumanism: A Man’s World by Charlotte Haldane” to explore the connection between science fiction and transhumanism, starting with a 1926 novel that has never been published in Italy. At 12:00 this will be followed by “Digital Simulacra. Is Reality Being Replaced by the Digital World?,” in which journalist Andrea Daniele Signorelli, creator of the podcast “Crash – The Key to the Digital Age”, will discuss the fine line between misleading narratives and real technological developments. At 4:00 p.m., the featured speaker for the day’s final talk will be Valeria Montebello, a journalist, writer, and creator of the podcasts “It’s Just Sex” and “Other People’s Sex”. In “Eros. Between the Body, Code, and Sex Tech: New Desires and Intimacy,” she will explore the metamorphoses of sexuality at the intersection of the physical and technology in the world of AI and virtual reality. Also on Wednesday, October 29, at 5:45 p.m. at the Teatro Miela, the program features “Things to Come” by William Cameron Menzies, a milestone in science fiction cinema released in 1936 and born from the brilliant mind of the visionary author H. G. Wells. The screening will be followed by a conversation between Pierluigi Masai and Christopher Coenen.
A show featuring forbidden memes that cries out for revenge against “political correctness”—mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 29, at 9:00 p.m. at the Sci-Fi Dome: featuring “Escape from the Algorithm.def – A Show of Forbidden Memes,” during which Filosofia Coatta, the artistic alter ego of writer and comedian Giulio Armeni, will throw down the gauntlet to Zuckerberg (and others) with a meme show featuring controversial content that Meta’s algorithm has censored.
