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, enthused “For its 25th Anniversary edition, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival has assembled a multi-faceted diverse programme that will once more innovate, challenge, thrill, amaze and, of course, ultimately entertain. As is its unique mission, the festival draws from the keen imaginations of a global community of new, independent and established filmmakers, artists and writers, who are always eager to discuss their work passionately both on the stage and off. And, as ever, no matter where those vivid imaginations take us, the contemporary world is never far from view, as the continually dynamic sci-fi genre continues to comment on the stark present from an incredible future”.
Highlights
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, 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.
Other standout screenings include:
- October 30, 8:00 PM: Egghead Republic (Sweden, 2025) by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, a dystopian tale imagining a world where the Cold War never ended.
- October 31, 8:00 PM: Bulk (UK, 2025) by Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, Kill List, High Rise), a high-octane sci-fi horror filled with car chases, gunfights, and romance – introduced by the director himself.
- November 1, 5:00 PM: Arco (France, 2025) by Ugo Bienvenu, fresh from Cannes, tells the story of Iris, a young girl who helps a mysterious “rainbow boy” find his way home.
- November 1, 8:00 PM: Orion (USA, 2024) by Jaco Bouwer (Gaia), an intense thriller about a counterintelligence agent and an amnesiac astronaut uncovering the truth behind a deadly mission.
- November 2, 8:30 PM: Chien 51 (France, 2025) by Cédric Jimenez, a closing-night dystopian drama set in a divided Paris where a detective investigates the murder of an AI pioneer.
The festival will also feature major documentary premieres, including John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (USA, 2025) by Michael Almereyda, exploring the visionary scientist’s experiments with dolphins and psychedelics, and Orwell 2+2=5 (USA/France, 2025) by Raoul Peck, a powerful reflection on modern authoritarianism, produced by Oscar winner Alex Gibney.
Guests and Special Events
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.
