The fine folks at the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival announced their full program this week. The Italian genre film festival has always featured a stellar lineup of festival faves over the years, and on its twenty-fifth anniversary, this lineup is no exception.
L’Homme qui rétrécit (The Shrinking Man), a new adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic novel from 1956, will open this year's festivities. Many of our faves from this year made the cut, including The Ugly Stepsister, Hold the Fort, Obex, Redux Redux, Transcending Dimensions, and Touch Me.
All the films included in this year's lineup are noted in the announcement below.
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”.HighlightsThe 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 Kågermanand 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 EventsThis 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.Head to https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org for more information.Full list of titles:Affection, BT Meza - UK 2025 - guests BT Meza + Austin Walk, Dave Gallegos, Bay DarizArco, Ugo Bienvenu - FRANCE 2025Bulk, Ben Wheatley - UK 2025 - guests Ben Wheatley + Andrew StarkBureau 749, Chuan Lu - CHINA 2024CognAitive, Tommy Savas - USA 2025Disforia, Christopher Cartagena - SPAIN 2025 - guest Christopher CartagenaDog 51, Cédric Jimenez - France 2025Dog of God, Lauris and Raitis Abele - LAT 2025 - guest Lauris Abele + Aigars GercansEgghead Republic, Pella Kagerman, Hugo Lilja - Sweden 2025Falsehood, Ethan Hickey - CANADA 2025 - guest Mouloud KasraouiHold the Fort, William Bagley - USA 2025L'Homme qui rétrécit, Jan Kounen - FRANCIA, BEL 2025 - guest Jan KounenJunk World, Takahide Hori - JAPAN 2025Kombucha, Jake Myers - USA 2025 - guest John Conde, Christopher Ray-Talley, Jinhee ChuLesbian Space Princess, Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese - AUSTRALIA 2025Mag Mag, Yuriyan Retriever - JAPAN 2025Marshmallow, Daniel DelPurgatorio USA 2025Obex, Albert Birney - USA 2025Orion, Jaco Bouwer - USA 2025 - guests Jaco Bouwer + Andrew McCarthy, Drew Van AckerOsiris, William Kaufman - USA 2025Redux Redux, Kevin & Matthew McManus - CANADA 2025Transcending Dimensions, Toshiaki Toyoda - JAPAN 2025Touch Me, Addison Heimann - USA 2025The Restoration at Grayson Manor, Glenn McQuaid - IRELAND 2025 - guest Glenn McQuaidThe Rows, Seth Daly - USA 2025 - guest Seth DalyThe Ugly Stepsister, Emilie Blichfeldt - NOR, DAN, ROM, POL, SWE 2025Xeno, Matthew Loren Oates - USA 2025DOCUMENTARIESBlame, Christian Frei - Switzerland 2025 - guest Christian FreiOrwell 2+2=5, Raoul Peck - France, USA 2025John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office, Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens - USA 2025 - guest Michael AlmereydaCLASSIXArrival, Denis Villeneuve - CAN 2016 - guest Ted ChiangCaptured Souls: In Conversation With Graham Humphreys - Chris Collier UK 2025 - guest Chris CollierDistrict 9, Neill Blomkamp - USA 2009Ikarie XB1, Jindrich Polak - Czech 1963Sane Inside Insanity — The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror, Andreas Zerr - Germany 2025Sideral Cruises, André Zwobada - France 1942Things to Come, William Cameron Menzies - UK 1936The Fly, David Cronenberg - USA 1986The War Game, Peter Watkins - UK 1966Visitor Jindrich Polak, Jakub Skalicky - Czech R. - 2025