04/11/2020 - Held online due to COVID-19, the Trieste meeting with science-fiction and horror ends with the announcement of the winners, coming from Russia, Canada, Austria and Germany

The 20th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, held for the first time online, ends with the announcement of the winners. The Asteroid prize, which recognises the best science-fiction, horror or fantasy film and is limited to the first, second or third features of emerging directors which are brought together in the Neon section of the festival, went to Sputnik by Egor Abramenko (Russia). The prize was awarded by an international jury that included cartoonist and writer Bepi Vigna, screenwriter and writer Javier S. Donate and producer and screenwriter Brendan McCarthy. Special Mention of the Asteroid Prize TS+FF2020 went to the Canadian film Come True by Anthony Scott Burns.

The winner of the Silver Méliès prize, which is reserved for feature-length films in the fantasy genre and produced in Europe, is The Trouble with Being Born [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sandra Wollner
film profile] by Sandra Woller (Austria/Germania). The 2020 jury of the Silver Méliès prize, which comprised of composer Pino Donaggio, director of the Far East Film Festival Sabrina Baracetti and director Martin Turk, has explained its choice with this statement: “A poetic and controversial film, an oeuvre that starts from a science-fiction point and soon moves outside the coordinates of the genre to enter a decidedly ‘auteur’ sphere. Complex, elusive, it asks a lot of questions on themes such as loneliness and, above all, love in all its forms (even those most morbid), and manages to create a rhythm and an atmosphere that fascinate and disturb at the same time.” Special mention of the Silver Méliès went to Post Mortem [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Péter Bergendy (Hungary), “a dark horror film founded on excellent staging and a beautiful historical setting.”

All the winners:

Asteroid Prize TS+FF2020
Sputnik - Egor Abramenko (Russia)
Special Mention
Come True - Anthony Scott Burns (Canada)

Silver Méliès Prize - Feature-length TS+FF2020
The Trouble with Being Born [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sandra Wollner
film profile] - Sandra Wollner (Austria/Germany)
Special Mention
Post Mortem [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Péter Bergendy (Hungary)

Silver Méliès Prize - Short film TS+FF2020
The Recycling Man - Carlo Ballauri (Italy)

RAI4 Prize TS+FF2020
Post Morten - Péter Bergendy
Special Mention
Mortal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: André Øvredal
film profile] - André Øvredal (Norway/United States/United Kingdom)

Nocturno New Visions Prize TS+FF2020
Meander [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathieu Turi
film profile] - Mathieu Turi (France)

CineLab Short Space Prize TS+FF2020
Guinea Pig - Giulia Grandinetti, Andrea Benjamin Manenti (Italy)

(Translated from Italian by Manuela Lazic)