OPENING CEREMONY WITH
ITALIAN PREMIERE OF “THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JOSEF MENGELE”.
KIRILL SEREBRENNIKOV WILL BE PRESENT.
AND MORE EVENTS: ACCESSIBLE SCREENINGS, BOOKS & TALKS AND THE SEMINAR REFRAMING EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVALS
The day starts at 09:30 in SALA CEI with day two of the seminar REFRAMING EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVALS: TRANSITIONAL HISTORIES, CULTURES AND IDENTITIES a cura del Gruppo di lavoro Consulta Universitaria del Cinema “Festival ed eventi cinematografici” by Gruppo di lavoro Consulta Universitaria del Cinema “Festival ed eventi cinematografici” in collaboration with Trieste Film Festival, Università Ca’ Foscari, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” and Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (free entry), dedicated to the phenomenon of festival studies which is becoming always more widespread.
At 14:30 at the Teatro Miela the TSFF includes everyone with IN Cinema – accessible screenings of CORTI SENZA CONFINE, for the first time accessible for people with auditory and sight disabilities. The 7 short films were winners of the “Shorts without Borders” project, organised by Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia in collaboration with the FVG Film Commission – Promo TurismoFVG, included in the official program of GO!2025 Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture.
The titles on the programme are: La battaglia delle spazzole (The Battle of the Brushes) by Lorenzo Fabbro (Staragara I.T) a light comedy which transforms the nightly routine of two road sweeper drivers into a battle between invisible borders and unexpected feelings; Cos te costa (Too Much To Ask) by Davide Del Degan, written by Alessandro Biamonti (Galaxia) which explores the physical and metaphysical borders as distortions of humans’ lived reality; L’estate che verrà (The Summer to Come) by Mauro Lodi (Groenlandia), a touching story about the deep friendship between two young people, one Italian and the other Slovenian, growing up in places of cultural cohesion, like the Staatsgymnasium in Gorizia; Meja – Frontiera by Emma Jaay (Tucker Film) a modern fairytale which reflects poetically on human connection beyond geographical divisions; L’osservatore dell’est (The Observer from the East) by Alberto Fasulo (Neferti Film) a clever mix between a comedy, a drama and an homage to Sergio Leone’s westerns; Il ponte (The Bridge) director Giacomo Bendotti’s (Amarena Film) first work, explores migration and highlights the permeability of borders throughout history and Vivere (Live) by Chiara Cremaschi (La Scontrosa), a ‘story on the road’ which is powerful and visually intense.
For TSFF LIBRI at 15:30, in the Libreria Antiquaria Umberto Saba the presentation of FESTIVAL E CRITICA: UNA STORIA INCROCIATA (Meltemi editore) by Marco Dalla Gassa and Federico Zecca, in conversation with Paolo Lughi. From the birth of the Venice International Film Festival to the new scenarios of the digital ecosystem, the volume Festivals and Criticism: An Intertwined History reconstructs the complex relationship linking film festivals and film criticism, examining the ways in which these two institutions have jointly contributed to shaping the cultural identity of cinema. Through theoretical reflections and historical analyses, case studies, and dialogues with critics and programmers, the book offers a dynamic panorama in which festivals become critical devices and criticism turns into a curatorial practice, continually negotiating the historical meaning and social value of the Seventh Art.
Back on the big screen at 17:30 at the Teatro Miela, for another round of IN Cinema-accessible screenings, this time with KARAVAN/ Caravan by Zuzana Kirchnerová (CZ – I, 2025, col., 100’). Overwhelmed by motherhood, Ester steals a caravan and flees to southern Italy with her son David with an intellectual disability. Their lives are transformed after meeting Zuza, a homeless girl. Caravan premiered at the Cannes FF in the “Un Certain Regard” section.
For TSFF BOOKS, at 18:00 in the Libreria Ubik, a talk as part of Dimmi – le donne raccontano (with the collaboration of Comunità Croata di Trieste). The author, director and screenwriter Dora Šustić, in conversation with Giorgia Spadoni, will discuss her debut novel “I cani” (BEE), translated by Sara Latorre, a story about youthful freedom in Andalusia awarded the ‘Drago Gervais’. The galgos are very fast, skilled, and cunning dogs. They are trained for up to five hours a day to become expert hunters, unbeatable runners, and ruthless fighters. If they fail to meet their owners’ demands, they are abandoned and killed. Here, in southern Spain, Dora follows the traces of the dogs that haunt her nights. She carries with her an unfinished photo book; the author, Leon, is the man who drew her into a whirlpool of passion, leaving her with a frail body, an obsession with galgos, and addresses in Andalusia. A daring novel about an enthusiastic youth striving to assert freedom, live fully, and burn everything along the way.
Originally from Rijeka, Dora Šustić earned a degree in Political Science in Ljubljana and a master’s in Screenwriting from the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague. She collaborates on various film and television projects as a screenwriter and teaches Fundamentals of Film Language at the Prague Film Institute. The Dogs, winner of the Drago Gervais Prize for the best unpublished work, is her first novel.
At 20:00 at the Politeama Rossetti, the OPENING CEREMONY FOR FILMS IN COMPETITION and the awards ceremony for best film 2025 from the SNCCI.
Following this, for the traditional double opening which marks the festivals move to the beautiful Politeama Rossetti, will be the national debut, following the world debut at Cannes, of “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” by Kirill Serebrennikov (DE – F, 2024,col & b-n / b-w, 135’). The film will be in Italian theatres from January 29th with the title La scomparsa di Josef Mengele, distributed in Italy by Europictures. At its center is the life and story of the man known as the “Angel of Death.” In the period following World War II, Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor of Auschwitz, flees to South America to rebuild a life in hiding: through the eyes of his son, who finds him again, Mengele is forced to confront a past he can no longer ignore. Director Kirill Serebrennikov will hold a masterclass the following morning (21 January, 11:30 a.m., at the Rossetti Theatre), moderated by Joël Chapron, a longtime collaborator of the Cannes Film Festival and an expert in Russian and Soviet cinema.
EXTRA EVENTS
SPEED DATE ARTIFRAGILI X TSFF, ore 18.00, IN BOCCA AL GIOCO – happy Hour, chats and cinema passion! Do you often find yourself at home, on a lonely evening, not quite sure what to do? Would you like to meet someone to chat with but don’t know where to start? Have you heard of the Trieste Film Festival but don’t really know what it’s about? Would you like to watch a film in good company?
The perfect solution for you is Speed Date Artifragili X TSFF! A discussion topic inspired by the world of cinema, three minutes to chat with the person in front of you, a glass of wine, and a relaxed atmosphere. Until the bell rings! Then it’s time to change seats and dive into a new, lively conversation.
Bookings: link in the bio on the Artifragili Instagram profile.
