By Francesco Stumpo
Ok, I know, it’s not a fun week, with the whole back in semi-lockdown and it’s only October casting a bit of a shadow over things.
But, hear me out, if you have a soft spot for science fiction films and you’ve already binge-watched your way through everything on Netflix, there’s a silver lining: the Trieste Science+Fiction festival kicks off online from Thursday October 29th to November 3rd.
This year’s edition was intended to be a mix of online and live screenings, with the latter not really on the cards now (you win again, Covid). The good news is that organizers La Cappella Underground already set up the festival with online screenings in mind, and these will all be available here, both at the specific time listed in the program and for 24 hours afterwards (TV shows will be available for the duration of the festival).
There are different price brackets on offer, with the cheapest (which gives you access to all the movies on offer) at only 9.95 euros (or as the organizers say, the price of a pizza!).
So, what’s on offer? Exclusive world premiers of 19 films, a TV series, science docs, and shorts. Those seeking a little mind-bending can check out Korean TV series SF8, which is enticingly described as the Asian response to Black Mirror, and directed by some of Korea’s best genre directors.
There’s some Evil Dead-style splatter in the form of Yummy by Lars Damoiseaux; Coma by Nikita Argunov explores parallel worlds and altered physics; Lapsis by Noah Hutton takes a satirical look at the future of gig economies; and environmental catastrophe and time travel are tackled in Seth Larney’s 2067.
There’s pretty much something for everyone there. We may be stuck at home, but that’s no reason we can’t take a plunge into time and space.
