26/10/2021 - On 27 October, science fiction will be making its return to the city, online and in person, in the form of over 40 world, international and national premieres, and a focus dedicated to Switzerland

From 27 October to 3 November, sci-fi film will be returning to Trieste in person and online - by way of MYmovies - on the occasion of the Science+Fiction Festival’s 21st edition, which will host over 40 world, international and national premieres, alongside three competitions, in the presence of directors, actors and authors from all over the world. The Fantastic Film Forum will also make its return within the event, offering a series of additional events dedicated to film and audiovisual professionals and opting for a wholly digital format for the second consecutive year.

The opening film of the festival will be The Last Journey [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which is directed by Romain Quirot, which stars Jean Reno and which tackles crucial environmental themes, followed by Danis Goulet’s female-style dystopic drama Night Raiders (Canada/New Zealand). Likewise jostling among the various films on the agenda, we find Settlers [+see also:
film review
film profile] by newcomer Wyatt Rockefeller, which is a bold sci-fi western where Mars is the new frontier, and The Pink Cloud, which marks the directorial debut of Brazil’s Iuli Gerbase and is a prophetically revealing film on the consequences of pandemic-based lockdown. Space has also been made for animation in the form of Ryan Braund’s British work Absolute Denial [+see also:
trailer
film profile], consisting of 30,000 hand-drawn stills and exploring the dynamics between mankind and artificial intelligence. Mad God marks the return to Trieste of Phil Tippett, a pioneer of the animation and visual effects industry who won the lifetime achievement Asteroide award in 2019. Also set for the showcase is English documentary Alien on Stage [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey, which tells the true story of a group of London drivers who decide to put together a ramshackle theatrical version of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece, Branko Tomović’s horror film Vampir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Branko Tomović
film profile] draws inspiration from real-life events which took place in Serbia at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and South Africa’s Gaia by Jaco Bouwer is an ecological horror film exploring the tragedy of survival. Works worth a final mention include the Irish offering Let the Wrong One In [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Conor McMahon, Rose: A Love Story [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Jennifer Sheridan, Italy’s Nest [+see also:
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interview: Mattia Temponi
film profile] by Mattia Temponi, and Iceland’s Lamb [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valdimar Jóhannsson
film profile] by Valdimar Jóhannsson, starring Noomi Rapace and selected for the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes 2021.

For this year’s focus dedicated to Swiss science fiction, Swiss Films will present a selection of 14 feature films and shorts, ranging from 60s and 70s classics to third millennium works, such as Blaise Harrison’s Particles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blaise Harrison
film profile] and Simon Jaquemet’s The Innocent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Simon Jaquemet
film profile], in collaboration with the 20th edition of the NIFFF- Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival.

Spazio Italia, meanwhile, a section dedicated to national fantasy and sci-fi productions, is set to spotlight The Land of Sons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Claudio Cupellini (which is based on Gipi’s graphic novel), the world premiere of Carmine Cristallo Scalzi’s A volte nel buio, in which a community afflicted by a mysterious illness seems to find hope in a child, and Salvadis which is directed and produced by comic book writer Romeo Toffanetti.

The festival’s Education Programme will also be returning to this year’s edition, treating students, families and teachers to a wide-ranging programme of live events.

(Translated from Italian)