TSFF OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE, WILD ROSES AND QUEER VISIONS
The second day of the 36th Trieste Festival opens in the morning with its proposals for the youngest and at the Miela Theater will be screened THE INTERGALACTIC ADVENTURES OF PETER AND HIS FRIENDS by the National Film Institute Hungary-Film Archive, a nice roundup of animated films whose protagonist is precisely Peter, discovering the world and new friends. *
The Wild Roses: Serbia section presents a selection of short films starting at 2:15 p.m. and opens with GRAD by Maša Šarović (The City, SRB, 2016, col., 12′) in which Dunja and her boyfriend arrive in Belgrade, he leaves her alone for a moment, when a local boy appears and, with an overly friendly manner, does not leave her alone. NIKOG NEMA by Jelena Gavrilović (Nobody Here, SRB, 2017, col., 20′) stars Sara, a 17-year-old girl who is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend Sergej. In the absence of a father figure, she finds solace in her
Dušan bodyguard. Graduation film by Jelena Gavrilović.
Then follows Tamara Todorović’s ROZE (Rosa, SRB, 2018, col., 17′) which, in the director’s words, “explores the theme of puberty, the vulnerable transition from childhood to adulthood, society’s expectations of women during this period and how these expectations end up influencing them.” (T. Todorović) and finally Tara Gajović’s U RAMENIMA (Shoulders, SRB, 2022, col., 20) in which mother and daughter return home after a family party at a nearby pub. On the way home, they meet people they have known in the past and realize that there are things they still do not know about each other.
At 4 p.m. TSFF opens its Visions Queer section with a selection of short films by Georgian director and screenwriter Elene Naveriani. We begin with her graduation short LES EVANGILES D’ANASYRMA (The Gospels of Anasyrma, 2014, col., 29′) in which we find the young Georgian Gabriel involved in a love affair with Amaia, a transgender woman living in the suburbs of Tbilisi. Gabriel is madly in love with her, but the socio-political context does not allow him to live this love openly. He hides his relationship from family and friends and is afraid to show it in public.
This is followed by FATHER, BLESS US (Father, bless us CH, 2013, COL., 9′). Ana goes to church to pray as usual. Agnes, her girlfriend, decides to follow her to observe Ana’s other life. Agnes wanders around the church and finds Ana in a corner. She approaches her and a wordless, gesture-based interaction begins between the two. Ana’s cold, fearful gaze and her refusal of physical contact are the response Agnes gets in return. Agnes continues to explore the place and, at one point, sits across from Ana, who rejects her a second time. So Agnes leaves, but Ana follows her, stops her in front of the altar and begins to simulate the wedding ritual.
The last short we see is RED ANTS BITE CH, 2019, col., 23) “The two main actors in the film, Donald and Gee, are friends.” says Naveriani “They are part of the first wave of African immigrants who arrived in Tbilisi about 15 years ago. Their initial plan was to reach Europe, but since then they have been stuck in the Georgian capital waiting for opportunities that never materialized.” (E. Naveriani)
We move from the Miela Theater at 5:30 p.m. to go to BOBI BAZLEN HALL for the event in Italian with free admission WHERE DOES GERMANY GO? with Antonio Caiazza, Barbara Gruden curated by DeutschZentrum Triest.
Germany facing early elections: in the postwar period it has happened only three times so far. The country thought to be a beacon of stability (even though it had already been declared the sick man of Europe at the turn of the millennium) is in a phase of profound transformation, politically and economically. From Merkel’s reluctant leadership to Scholz’s unfinished “zeitenwende”: what are the prospects and consequences for Europe.
At 6 p.m. we return to theaters with Wild Roses: Serbia featuring Ivana Mladenović’s IVANA CEA GROAZNICĂ (Ivana the Terrible, MK – PL – HR – SRB – RSK, 2023, col., 107). Story of Ivana works as an actress in Romania and who, after having some health problems, decides to spend the summer with her family, in her small Serbian hometown on the Danube. The mayor asks her to be “the image” of the local music festival, and she reluctantly accepts. The arrival from Bucharest of some of her friends, somewhat eccentric musicians, and her romance with a local boy, much younger than her, become the town’s favorite gossip, and so Ivana finds herself on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
At 8:00 p.m. we return to Queer Visions with Goran Stolevski’s DOMAKINSTVO ZA POCETNICI (Housework for Beginners MK – PL – HR – SRB – RSK, 2023, col., 107′) Dita has never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her partner’s two daughters: little pest Mia and rebellious teenager Vanesa. The result is a clash of wills that leads the three to quarrel constantly and become an unlikely family, forced to fight to stay together.
And we end at 10 p.m. with BEAUTY AND THE LAWYER by Hovhannes Ishkhanyan (AM – F, 2023, col., 105′) Carabina, a gay artist, drag performer and sex worker, and Hasmik, a straight lawyer who advocates for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, are married. They became parents a few months ago,
are faced with a dilemma: Will the child grow up or not in Armenia where 93 percent of the population is hostile to homosexuality?
RESERVATIONS-ONLY EVENTS / ADDITIONAL EVENTS
MUSEUMS & EXHIBITIONS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18 and SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 at 5:30 p.m.
SMALL PARTY ACTIONS
curated by Elsa Mencagli Andersen
The micro-actions probe the space where one transitions from rational and verbal experience to exploration with the body, in a slow and expansive time, allowing both visitors and the artist to experiment together with types of embodied knowledge. Within her exhibition practices, the artist activates an intimacy linked to touch and sound, attempts to explore verbal and non-verbal language, other ways of connecting between people and between people and works.
Reservations by Jan. 17: |+39 328 7349711 | info@elenacantori.com
WALKS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 11 a.m., CASA DEL CINEMA
THE WORLD IN A CITY edited by Gianluca Guerra
This cinematic walk will take you through a turbulent and suspended era in Trieste’s history, which inspired cinema and literature to tell stories of secret agents, double-crossers, opposing blocks, and international intrigues. Gianluca Guerra will discuss films spanning about twenty years, from the end of World War II to the 1960s spy B-movies, including 007, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and Christopher Nolan. Spy films, secret agents, and international intrigue through cinema’s portrayal of the “Trieste issue” and the Iron Curtain: French and American films depict the Trieste situation through the lens of adventure, starting with Sleeping Car to Trieste and Diplomatic Courier, followed by the entertaining eurospy films that mimicked 007. The cinematic walk THE WORLD IN A CITY will explore the locations of espionage and thrillers, telling the stories of the adventures that took place there, blending historical reality, legend, and fiction.
Cost: €15 | Reservation required: prenotazionitsff@gmail.com
Cost 15€ | Reservation required: prenotazionitsff@gmail.com
UNDAY, JANUARY 19TH, PIAZZA PONTEROSSO, at 11:00 AM, TALLERO DI MARIA TERESA
SERBIA IN TRIESTE: CLOSE AND DISTANT BALKANS curated by Marzia Arzon
Serbia in Trieste: from the 18th-Century mercantile community to a vital part of the modern city. The 1990s Balkan War marked the birth of a new and vibrant microcosm in Trieste, introducing fresh perspectives and a great deal of creativity. Men and women brought ideas, flavors, and the sadness of their past experiences, replicating their renewed traditions in a semi-unknown context. We will discover all of this through an urban itinerary made up of buildings, colors, and stories.
Cost 15€ | Reservation required: prenotazionitsff@gmail.com
FOOD & MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH, at 8:30 PM, HANGAR TEATRI
IVO DIMCHEV LIVE CONCERT curated by TSFF, Hangar Teatri, Kataman
Ivo Dimchev: provocative, chameleonic, queer, irreverent. The Bulgarian artist arrives in Trieste with a sensual and sweet musical experience, playful and sophisticated.
His performances are something formidable: they blend theatre, dance, music, and provocative storytelling, breaking boundaries and celebrating creative freedom.
With a stage presence that swings between rockstar and prima donna, Dimchev is one of the most powerful, fearless, and wild artists around.
Ticket 15€ (TSFF accredited 12€) vivaticket.com | biglietteria@hangarteatri.it |+393883980768
at 6:00 PM, ANTICO CAFFÈ SAN MARCO
WINE ROSES, White Wine Tasting from Serbia, curated by Antico Caffè San Marco
DALIA – Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Crna Tamjanika, brut nature
RAJ -White Wine Sauvignon
ZAGORAC – Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Pinot noir , brut nature
Cost 10€ |Reservations: libreria@caffesanmarco.com
TSFF36 of the LITTLE ONES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18TH, at 11:00 AM and 5:30 PM / SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH at 4:00 PM, AAC LAB
WORKSHOP: BUILD YOUR OWN WONDER ROOM!
workshop for girls and children by La Collina Cooperative recommended for ages 6 to 12 years old
Join us to create your own darkroom: learn to build a little magical room where your stories come to life through light and shadows.
Duration: 60 minutes | Cost 10€ | Reservation required: 040 3476076 or prenotazionitsff@gmail.com
