The 37th edition of the Trieste Film Festival, taking place from 16 to 24 January 2026, not only celebrates cinema but once again establishes itself as a space for dialogue between different arts, disciplines, and cultures, expanding its programme of side events. TSFF offers a rich calendar of book presentations—also thanks to collaborations with Bottega Errante Edizioni and Meridiano 13 — along with talks, workshops, guided tours, bringing to Trieste key voices from contemporary literature and activism, as well as performances and tastings.
The literary programme opens with a series curated by Bottega Errante Edizioni, offering an immersion into the history and identity of the Balkans. On 19 January at Caffè San Marco, Croatian writer Robert Perišić presents The Cat at the End of the World, a work named by The Wall Street Journal among the best books of the year, in conversation with Rai journalist Walter Skerk. The following day, at Ubik Bookshop, Dora Šustić discusses her debut novel Dogs together with Giorgia Spadoni: a story of youthful freedom set in Andalusia, awarded the “Drago Gervais” Prize. The series concludes on 21 January at Minerva Bookshop with Dejan Atanacković, in conversation with Luigi Nacci, and his novel Lusitania, winner of the NIN Prize, which recounts the birth of a utopian community in occupied Belgrade in 1915.
On 18 January, Lovat Bookshop hosts the talk The Open Heart – Re-making Love (add editore), a moment of political and cultural reflection on new forms of relationships, starting from the Italian edition of Victoire Tuaillon’s book. Moderated by Marta Improta, the event features Marta Pacor and Rosa Monicelli. On 23 January, again at Lovat, the focus shifts to graphic novels with Boban Pesov’s Once Upon a Time in the East (Tunué). The author will be in conversation with rapper Doppelgänger, offering an opportunity to reflect on a shared experience shaped by the diaspora following the Balkan wars of the 1990s, as well as on rap and graphic novels. On 18 January at the historic Caffè San Marco, historian and writer Eric Gobetti will give a lecture at the crossroads of cinema and history, analysing how Italian cinema has portrayed Yugoslav partisans and how Italian occupiers have been depicted in Yugoslav cinema.
On 22 January, the Meridiano 13 collective broadens the international horizon by bringing together stories from Yemen and Bulgaria at Ubik Bookshop with Eleonora Sacco and Giorgia Spadoni. On the same day, a panel moderated by Mitja Stefancic and dedicated to Slovenian alternative music will feature Boris Benko and Petar Stojanović, exploring the legacy of the artistic and musical movements of the 1980s and 1990s in the former Yugoslavia.
Trieste itself becomes a narrative through the guided tours led by Marzia Arzon and Francesca Pitacco. The six itineraries range from exploring Slovenian Trieste to revisiting the city’s working-class past, from the stories of philanthropy in Barriera Vecchia to a visit to the Borarium in Opicina. There is also a route in Trieste designed for children, as well as a cross-border walk between Gorizia and Nova Gorica conceived by Gianluca Guerra for the Set Discover app.
The festival experience is further enriched by events “off the beaten track,” such as the participatory performance Yugo Yoga, conceived by Lara Ritosa-Roberts, which on 24 January will transform the Covered Market into a space for collective movement inspired by socialist culture and fiskultura. Other events include ArtiFragili’s Speed Date on 20 January and the cinema storytelling sessions by the Quadrato Culturale T.E.T.R.I.S.S., curated by Margherita De Michiel, Associate Professor of Russian Language and Literature at the SSLMIT, at the Ridottino of Teatro Miela on 16 January.
On the film criticism front, two volumes will be presented focusing on the analysis of certain phenomena in contemporary cinema and on the study of the festivals that engage with them. On 18 January, Roy Menarini will discuss his book Films of the 21st Century (Cue Press) with Beatrice Fiorentino, while the CUC Committee – University Film Studies Association will present Festivals and Criticism: An Intertwined History (Meltemi) on Tuesday 20 January at the Umberto Saba Bookshop, in conversation with journalist Paolo Lughi.
On 19 and 20 January, the CEI Hall will host the study days Reframing European Film Festivals: Transitional Histories, Cultures and Identities, organised by the CUC in collaboration with TSFF.
The CinéTalks also return, a film literacy programme for high schools, this year focusing on gender-based violence and in collaboration with the anti-violence centre GOAP. The initiative includes several sessions at different schools in Trieste and a matinée at Cinema Ambasciatori on Wednesday, 21 January.
The palate will also be delighted with wine tastings from the Rojac winery on 17 January at Caffè San Marco, and an Eastern European traditional showcooking in a macrobiotic version on 18 January.
Reservations are required to attend the guided tours, wine tastings, and showcooking sessions.
