Trieste Science+Fiction Festival 2019

The 19th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, taking place from 29 October to 3 November, will open with the hypnotic happiness plants of Jessica Hausner’s Little Joe (award for best actress for Emily Beecham at Cannes 2019), and will close with the hotly anticipated Zombieland – Double Tap by Ruben Fleischer, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone ten years after they first appeared in the cult film Zombieland. The event will feature over 80 films including features and shorts, accompanied by producers, directors and actors from all over the world.

Among the most eagerly expected guests is Phil Tippett, winner of two Academy Awards and celebrated for his visual contribution to The Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park, who will receive the life achievement Asteroide Award recognising his career. Famous Swiss documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe will present Memory: The Origins of Alien, which recounts the origins of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece. Brian Yuzna, cult director of scifi/horror cinema of the 1980s, will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his film Society and will head the jury giving out the Asteroide Award. Also in Trieste, Italian director Aldo Lado will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his sci-fi film The Humanoid (screened from a restoration).

Neon, the official selection of the festival, will present features from the genres of science-fiction, horror and fantasy, in competition and out of competition. The first, second and third works from emerging authors will be competing for the Asteroide Award. European sci-fi films, meanwhile, will be vying for the Méliès d’argent award. Among the titles, Canadian film Steampunk Connection by Annie Deniel; Time Perspectives by Ciro Sorrentino; Rabid, a remake of the classic David Cronenberg film, directed by the “twisted twins” Jen and Sylvia Soska; Iron Sky: The Coming Race [+] from Finnish director Timo Vuorensola, following his film Iron Sky; Italian films Blood Bags by Emiliano Ranzani and In the Trap by Alessio Liguori, in world premiere; Chinese film Last Sunrise by Wen Ren; Breakpoint. A Counter History of Progress by Jean-Robert Viallet; Sea Fever by Neasa Hardiman, a co-production between Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium, starring Danish star Connie Nielsen; Midday Demons by Rossella De Venuto, an Italo-Irish co-production; French film Blind Spot by Pierre Trividic and Patrick Mario Bernard; Slovenian film The Curse of Valburga by Tomaž Gorkič; Bullets of Justice from Bulgarian director Valeri Milev; Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway by Miguel Llansó (a co-production between Spain, Estonia, Ethiopia, Latvia, Romania, United Kingdow); Norwegian animated film Louis & Luca – Mission to the Moon by Rasmus A. Sivertsen; Extra Ordinary by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman (Ireland, Belgium); ANIARA, the first feature from Swedish duo Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja.

Artificial intelligence and its effects on our lives is certainly a recurring theme at Trieste S+FF. Standing out in the programme are the documentary Hi, AI from German director Isa Willinger; French film Blood Machine by Seth Ickerman; I Am Human by Taryn Southern and Elena Gaby; Polish film I Am REN by Piotr Ryczko. The other sections include European Fantastic Shorts, competing for the Méliès d’argent award; Spazio Italia / Corto; Sci-Fi Classix, with films screenings from restorations or from vintage reels.

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