by InTrieste
The Trieste Science+Fiction Festival will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jumanji on Saturday, Nov. 1, with a screening of a restored version of the 1995 adventure classic starring Robin Williams. The showing, set for 5:15 p.m. at Teatro Miela, marks one of the marquee events of the penultimate day of the festival, now in its 25th edition and regarded as Italy’s leading showcase dedicated to science fiction and the fantastic.
The festival, which concludes on Sunday, Nov. 2, continues its tradition of pairing genre cinema with literary programming, international premieres and restored archival works. Earlier in the day, also at Teatro Miela, audiences will be treated to the world premiere of a 4K restoration of Sideral Cruises (1942), a visionary curiosity by André Zwoboda that centers on a pioneering woman scientist and anticipates contemporary debates around commercialized space travel.
New works dominate the remainder of Saturday’s lineup. At 3 p.m., Teatro Rossetti will host the Italian premiere of Redux Redux (2025), a U.S. science-fiction thriller by Kevin and Matthew McManus about a mother navigating parallel universes in pursuit of revenge. At the same time, Teatro Miela will screen the second and final program of shorts competing for the Méliès d’Argent award.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, films will alternate between Miela and the Rossetti. Screenings include Ugo Bienvenu’s animated feature Arco (France, 2025), following a young girl aiding a mysterious rainbow-hued boy; the international premiere of Orion (United States, 2025), directed by Jaco Bouwer, in which a counterintelligence expert interrogates an amnesiac astronaut; and Kombucha (United States, 2025), a satirical science-fiction entry blending corporate absurdity with biological transformation.
Late-night offerings expand the festival’s genre range. Dog of God (Latvia, 2025), a rotoscope-animated tale revisiting a historical werewolf trial, and The Restoration at Grayson Manor (Ireland/Australia, 2025), a dark comedy involving subconscious-controlled mechanical hands, will premiere alongside director appearances. The night ends at 12:30 a.m. with Hold the Fort (United States, 2025), a supernatural suburban comedy featuring a demonic invasion.
The literary program will see award-winning science-fiction author Ted Chiang — whose work inspired Denis Villeneuve’s film Arrival — take the stage in Piazza della Borsa at 5 p.m. for a conversation on language and world-building with linguist Vera Gheno. At 7 p.m., Korean artist and writer Dolki Min will present In forme, a speculative novel exploring identity and embodiment, in an event moderated by Italian author Nicoletta Vallorani.
The day will also feature the presentation of the three finalists for the Mondofuturo Literary Prize, awarded to the best original science-fiction book published in Italy in 2024. The nominees are Anticaja Canaglia by Cobol Pongide and Emiglino Cicala, Cronache dalla deriva by Carlo Roselli, and Nero. Il complotto dei complotti by Luca Giommoni.
At 9 p.m., the festival will turn playful with the “FantaQuiz,” a pop-culture competition hosted by Diego Castelli and Jacopo Cirillo of SerialMinds, drawing on science-fiction cinema, television and fan culture.
The wide-ranging program underscores the festival’s continuing commitment to bridging nostalgia, emerging talent and cross-disciplinary dialogue — a hallmark that has positioned Trieste as a hub for imaginative storytelling at the intersection of cinema, literature and technology.
