Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, the leading event in Italy devoted to science fiction scheduled from October 29th to November 3rd, has confirmed the final line-up of films for this years festival including the Opening Night film, MADS.
MADS, from David Moreau, co-director of ILS/THEM and THE EYE, is a thrilling single-take chiller shot in five days in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. A teenager stops off to see his dealer to test a new drug before heading off for a night of partying. On the way home, he picks up an injured woman and the night takes a surreal turn with ferocious twists leading to a powerfully shocking climax. Ambitious visual effects, stunning cinematography, an innovative multi-character perspective and fresh performances from a cast of rising stars promise a unique and unforgettable experience for the audience.
Meta-universe comedy fantasy of the year, Time Travel Is Dangerous, sees its European Premiere at the festival. From director Chris Reading, and co-written and produced by the acclaimed duo the Shakespeare Sisters, the film stars British comedy royalty in Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap, and is narrated by Stephen Fry. Real-life best friends Ruth Syratt and Megan Stevenson run a vintage bric-a-brac shop in Muswell Hill, London. Stumbling across a time machine, they embark on trips to the past to stock their emporium with quirky artefacts with no idea of the irreparable damage they’re causing to the fabric of the universe. After one excursion too many, an interdimensional fissure appears and Ruth must free Megan from The Unreason, a monstrous netherworld where convoluted gaming is played for all eternity.
Parvulos, from director Isaac Ezban, sees its Italian Premiere at the festival. A thought-provoking, slick and visually striking story about the lives of three young brothers tackling life in a post-apocalyptic, infected world, shot largely in monochrome tones, with flashes of colour for special moments. Living in a cabin in the middle of the woods the trio hide a dark, disturbing secret in their basement in Mexican Isaac Ezban’s fifth feature rooted in the primal, emotional bond between parents and their offspring. Compelling and engaging, Ezban’s fantastic eye for carefully composed gothic tableaux in his zombie ‘Lord of the Flies’ makes PARVULOS (Pre-schoolers) an arresting and shocking treat.
In Alien Country, from directors Boston McConnaughey and Renny Grames, everybody has a story about extra-terrestrials in this Italian Premiere. Maybe their brother or cousin had a close encounter and were abducted and probed in a spaceship. Maybe they saw a UFO in the night sky. Now two people in particular are about to reveal the absolute truth and their unbelievable saga. Reeling from the news of an unexpected pregnancy, Jimmy, a wild and reckless demolition derby mechanic, and Everly unknowingly release an alien invasion in their small town and learn to work together in order to save each other, their town and evidently, the entire galaxy.
Other new films include Norwegian animation Flow, U Are The Universe, Escape From the 21st Century, Meanwhile on Earth and Heavens: The Boy and His Robot.
Films previously announced include Things Will Be Different, Broken Bird, Survive, The Bunker, Test Screening, The Invisble Raptor, So Unreal, The A-Frame and The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee.
Alan Jones, Artistic Director of Trieste Science+Fiction, said “From the rise of the machines and the fears surrounding AI to the threats of climate change and alien invasion in not just its extraterrestrial forms, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival 2024 deliberately covers every hot button topic concerning humanity at this precise time in all our uncertain lives. Science Fiction still remains the one dominant genre where current social issues are reflected in a stark future mirror, where potent cosmic allegory is used to comment on political themes, inequality and injustice. So TS+F invites you to Brainstorm the MegaFuture with a diverse selection of hand-picked titles to provoke, amuse, shock, compel and entertain. TS+F enters its 61st exciting year with a commitment to excellence in the realms of the fantastic where dynamic answers are unfettered by the imagination”
The poster for the 2024 edition is an original illustration created by cartoonist Michele Rech, aka Zerocalcare, one of the most beloved authors on the Italian and international comics scene. The poster for the 24th edition of the Trieste festival illustrates the challenges and fears evoked by the advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence, a technology that is no longer just the future but also the present in which machines, for the first time, are able to create something as new and artistic as a written text or an illustration. In fact, the recent development of Artificial Intelligence is leading us toward a science fiction movie scenario: a Fourth Industrial Revolution
The 24th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival promises a packed schedule of events and film previews. Held at the Politeama Rossetti and Teatro Miela, this year’s festival will showcase the finest global science fiction productions, encompassing a spectrum from horror to classic sci-fi. As every year, there will be no shortage of events dedicated to the connection between science and science fiction: Mondofuturo, the series of meetings to dialogue with popularizers and communicators of science about the world of tomorrow; IVIPRO Days, the annual event dedicated to video games as a resource for telling the story of cultural heritage; and the Fantastic Film Forum, a series of events dedicated to professionals in the film and audiovisual industry. Among this year’s novelties is the first edition of the Mondofuturo Literary Prize, an award for the best original science fiction book published in Italy in 2023, promoted by the national research organization Area Science Park and the Film and Audiovisual Research and Experimentation Center “La Cappella Underground.”
