Screenings

Monday, October 7, 9:00PM @ Sala dei 146 – Italian premiere
Aire: Just Breathe by Leticia Tonos Paniagua (Dominican Republic/Spain, 2024, 98’)

In the near future, a conservationist biologist fights human extinction with the help of an artificial intelligence (voiced by Paz Vega). All is well, at least until the arrival of a stranger.

Thursday, October 10, 9:30PM @ Sala dei 146 - Italian premiere
Bionica by Sebastian Perillo (Argentina, 2024, 82’)

A quadriplegic woman undergoes treatment to regain mobility. How much can a person's body be changed before they stop being themselves?

Saturday, October 12, 12:15PM @ Auditorium - Italian premiere
The Dead Thing by Elric Kane (U.S.A., 2024, 94’)

A young woman, reeling from a series of meaningless relationships, falls in love with a charismatic and sensitive man, but one who harbors a dark secret. A melancholic disturbing horror film that was presented at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.

Tuesday, October 8, 8:30PM @ Sala dei 146 - Italian premiere, introduced by the director
The Fix by Kelsey Egan (South Africa, 2024, 98’)

In a future ravaged by toxic air, model Grace takes a drug that causes her to mutate. A dystopian fairy tale from South African Kelsey Eagan, who has won Electricdreams with Glasshouse in 2022.

Tuesday, October 8, 7:00PM @ Sala dei 146 - Italian premiere
Heresy by Didier Konings (Netherlands, 2024, 61’)

The Netherlands, Middle Ages. Frieda is a young villager caught between faith, the bigotry of her fellow villagers, and the dark forces that lurk in the woods.

Friday, October 11, 8:30PM @ Sala dei 146
I Saw Three Black Lights by Santiago Lozano Álvarez (Colombia, 2024, 87’)

An elderly shaman wanders into the Colombian jungle in search of a quiet place to die, but paramilitary soldiers who control the area threaten his journey to death. A fairy-tale blend of folklore and realism with an adorable, silent protagonist.

Saturday, October 12, 4:30PM @ Auditorium - Italian premiere
Kryptic by Kourtney Roy (Canada, 2024, 96’)

Kay walks through a forest in search of a missing person. On her journey she discovers that she has an inextricable bond with a mysterious creature. A fascinating sci-fi horror that reflects on time, sexuality and memory.

Wednesday, October 9, 9:00PM @ Sala dei 146 - Italian premiere
Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Teresa Sutherland (U.S.A., 2023, 87’)

Lennon, a new forest ranger, travels alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy that has haunted her since she was a child. Georgina Campbell moves through lush and increasingly alien landscapes.

Saturday, October 12, 6:30PM @ Auditorium - Italian premiere
Milk Teeth by Sophia Bösch (Germany, 2024, 97’)

Skalde lives in a small community, far from a world that may no longer exist. She is an intruder, because she was born to an “outsider,” but she has earned the respect of the village elder. One day she meets a mysterious girl in the woods.

Saturday, October 12, 2:30PM @ Auditorium - Italian premiere
Sasquatch Sunset by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner (U.S.A., 2024, 88’)

A year in the life of a Big Foot family, the last of their kind, as they try to survive the advance of an increasingly intrusive outside world. A crazy, improbable and moving film produced by Ari Astrer (Midsommar) with Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough unrecognizable in prosthetic furs.

Saturday, October 12, 9:00PM @ Auditorium - Italian premiere
She Loved Blossoms More by Yannis Veslemes (Greece, 2024, 86’)

Three brothers build an unconventional time machine to bring their long-dead mother back to life. A visionary, psychedelic film full of visual inventions and wide-eyed hallucinations, first screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Curated by Riccardo Caccia and Rocco Moccagatta, professors of History of Cinema at IULM University. The third edition’s retrospective aims to reason on the 40 years since 1984, the year of the future. When George Orwell, in 1949, imagined a dark and disturbing 1984 in his most renown novel, the author intended to depict the consequences of totalitarianism, not imagining that he would anticipate the future of digital surveillance and compose a lexicon that could help us understand it. An emblematic example in the relationship between science and science fiction, hovering between understanding the past, analysing the present and predicting the future. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the real year 1984 also proved to be a watershed in literary, scientific, technological and film production. To analyse this relationship, four films released in 1984 will be screened:

Monday, October 7, 3:30PM @ Sala dei 146
Metropolis – Moroder’s version by Fritz Lang (Germany, 1927/1984, 87’)
Fritz Lang’s masterpiece, which in 1927 already anticipated a grim Orwellian 1984 and bodies sculpted by deepfakes and moved by artificial intelligences, is remixed by Giorgio Moroder’s synth genius in a short-circuit between the past, present and future of cinema and sound frequencies.

Tuesday, October 8, 9:30AM @ Sala dei 146
Starman by John Carpenter (U.S.A., 1984, 115’)
The alien takes on the guise of a human, but this is no longer an invasion of body snatchers. Horror master John Carpenter, who is grappling with science fiction after the equally pivotal The Thing (1982), chooses the sentimental path of love, anticipating a paradigm shift in the observation of humanity.

Tuesday, October 8, 2;00PM @ Sala dei 146
The Terminator by James Cameron (U.S.A., 1984, 107’)
A robot arrives in the past from the future to kill the woman who will spawn his future enemy, followed by a man tasked with protecting her. A cult film that over time has become a foundational piece of the collective imagination for representing the conflict between human and machines and the debate over artificial intelligence.

Friday, October 11, 5:00PM @ Sala dei 146
The Return of Godzilla by Koji Hashimoto (Japan, 1984, 103’)
After 30 years and 15 films, in 1984 the saga of the “king of the monsters” was started anew. Today we would say reboot. In the 16th film in the franchise, Godzilla returns to represent the fear of the atomic bomb, but anticipating themes of pollution and the end of natural resources. Today we would say climate change.

Monday, October 7, 5:30PM @ Sala dei 146
SHORT-FEATURE COMPETITION #1 – FANTA-RELATIONSHIPS
A Reflection by Laurie Barraclough (UK, 2023, 14’) - Italian premiere
Cam has three things to deal with: the death of her father, the estrangement of her mother, and the dragon that follows her.
Time Before Kevin by Raine Gado (Philippines, 2023, 10’) - Italian premiere
Kevin absolutely must build a time machine to save his younger self.
Last Cigarette by Darío Caamaño (Japan, 2024, 14’) - Italian premiere
Jane and Emily cope with the end of their relationship on a stone fence overlooking the sea.
Idioms Solitaire by Zhou Bozhi (China, 2024, 14’) - Italian premiere
How do those who are trapped in time and space save themselves?
Game Over by Adrian Cacciola (France, 2024, 9’) - Italian premiere
A heated game of Scrabble between a man and his hated wife turns words into reality.
Kokalo by Marios Evangelou (Greece, 2024, 18’) - Italian premiere
Join Anastasia and Ilia on a mesmerizing and sometimes spiritual journey through the highs and lows of love.
Small Step by Jimmy G. Pettigrew (Canada, 2024, 14’) - Italian premiere
Small, introverted Antoine dreams of going into space under the hairdresser's helmet.

Tuesday, October 8, 11:30AM @ Sala dei 146
SHORT-FEATURE COMPETITION #2 – FANTA-WEIRD
Gator Girl by Michelle Craig (U.S.A., 2024, 18’) - Italian premiere
When Elle returns home to take care of her little sister, beasts from the past appear to her – literally.
Ofelia’s Eye by Gabriel Sanper (Spain, 2024, 6’) - Italian premiere
In the shadow of a palace shrouded in an eternal storm, a young woman struggles to free herself from her fears.
In the Name of God by Azhman Bizhani Nasab (Iran, 2024, 4’) - Italian premiere
A magical journey through the folk beliefs of a remote Iranian province.
Kalimera by Francesco Mastroleo (Italy, 2024, 18’) - Italian premiere
Irene, oppressed by a toxic relationship, frees her ancient female identity through the ritual of tarantism.
Triptych by Sophia Ray (UK/Bulgaria, 2024, 15’) - Italian premiere
An art dealer is haunted by a mysterious force from her past.
Tongue by Mohammad Siyamaknia (Iran, 2023, 18’) - Italian premiere
Why talk? Better to remain tongue-tied. A silent and surreal dystopia.
Les Bêtes by Michael Granberry (U.S.A., 2024, 12’)
A magical rabbit entertains an evil king. A stop-motion gem inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.

Saturday, October 12, 10:30AM @ Auditorium
SHORT-FEATURE COMPETITION #3 – FANTA-SCIENCE
PleasureDora by Mark Prebble (New Zealand, 2024, 9’) - Italian premiere
A flawed AI escort and her latest client confront mortality and second chances.
Algorithmic Music by Adrian Jamil Siry (Indonesia, 2023, 8’) - Italian premiere
A robot finds joy by composing music.
Rodent by Joe Fereday (UK, 2023, 8’) - Italian premiere
In the not-too-distant future, a little mouse takes us on a journey among the last vestiges of humanity.
Ouroboros by Li Xiaorui (China, 2024, 10’) - Italian premiere
In a future ravaged by wars and supported by advanced technologies, humanity barely survives.
The Sky Machines by Carlos Bocardi (Argentina, 2024, 19’) - Italian premiere
The inhabitants of a small town in Alta Gracia, Argentina, must survive an alien invasion.
The Stranded by Sergi Páez (Spain, 2023, 13’) - Italian premiere
The last survivor of a space station in the far reaches of known space awaits rescue.
Figment by Ian Sweeney (New Zealand, 2024, 20’) - Italian premiere
Plagued by loneliness, a woman takes a drug that gives her an imaginary friend.

FULL FEATURES JURY

Silvia Califano (Rome, 1984) began working at communication and graphic design agencies as an illustrator and as a cartoonist. In 2009 she worked on a series of short stories for Skorpio and Lanciostory, on a script by Lorenzo Bartoli. Since 2010 she has published three issues of John Doe by Bartoli and Recchioni. In January 2012 she moved to Bonelli, on the Dampyr title. Since 2012 she has been collaborating with IDW Publishing on The X-Files series. In 2020 she worked on the series Audace Il Confine, while since 2024 she is a regular illustrator for Dylan Dog. Since 2018 she continues collaborations for the U.S. market for titles such as Star Trek, Judge Dredd (IDW) and Elvira (Dynamite), while for the U.K. market she has been publishing short stories on 2000AD since 2021.

Davide Gentile participated in Cannes Lions in 2016 winning a Gold Young Director Award for the short film Food for Thought and in the same year the Best Young Italian Author 2016 at the Venice Film Festival. Davide also won at Cannes Lions 2015 a Silver Young Director Award for the branded content by Bose Music is My Language. His short film Omar was selected at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner section. In 2023 his first feature film, Denti da squalo, produced by Lucky Red and Goon Films, is released in theaters and on Amazon Prime. Davide continues to direct advertisements̀, writing and producing his own projects and developing his second feature film. Website: http://www.vimeo.com/davidegentile

Elisabetta Spinelli is an actress, voice actress and dubbing director. She is known for voicing numerous anime and cartoon heroines. She is the voice of Sailor Moon, Chichi in Dragon Ball, Winry in Full Metal Alchemist, and Pippi Longstocking. She has voiced in many famous TV series: Thirteen, McLeod's Daughters, The Guiding Light. She is the voice of Lily in the cult TV series How I Met Your Mother. On film, he dubbed June Carter, played by Reese Witherspoon, in Walk the Line and Lucy Liu in Detachment. She has directed the dubbing of many products for Sky, Rai, Nichelodeon, DeAgostini, and Netflix. In theater she is on stage with L'uomo che amava le donne together with Corrado Tedeschi, with whom she holds acting and theater workshops. She teaches dubbing at Academy 09. For the past two years she has been president of the ADAP association.

SHORT FEATURES JURY

Mimmo Gianneri received his PhD in Communication and New Technologies from the IULM University of Milan. He has been a research fellow at the University of Insubria. He is currently a research fellow at the University of Turin for the project “Atlante del giallo. Storia dei media e cultura popolare in Italia (1954-2020) (PRIN 2020)” and adjunct professor of Languages of Cinema and Audiovisual Didactics at IULM University in Milan. He has extensevely researched modern and contemporary Italian cinema, RAI dramas of the 1970s and Film and Media Education in Italy.

Together with the students from the master's degree course in Television, Cinema, and New Media at IULM University: Gaia Berisso, Gloria Castelletti, Arono Celeprin, Francesca Consuma, Sara D’Onofrio, Antonio Fiorello.