Making their Italian debuts in a double opening at the Teatro Miela (January 16th) and the Politeama Rossetti (January 20th), Holland’s latest and most ambitious work (and Polish candidate for the 2026 Oscars), along with Serebrennikov’s dramatization of the escape from justice of Auschwitz’s ‘Angel of Death’ (played by August Diehl). On Saturday 24th, again at the Politeama Rossetti, Enyedi concludes the festival, bringing the millennium-spanning tale of a majestic Ginkgo biloba to the big screen.
Trieste, 10th December, 2025 – The 37th Trieste Film Festival, the first and most important event on Central and Eastern European cinema in Italy, will open with the Italian premieres of two films: one, a biopic of Franz Kafka directed by Agnieszka Holland, the other, the story of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele directed by Kiril Serebrennikov. ‘Franz’ will inaugurate the festival on Friday the 16th January at the Teatro Miela, while, on the 20th January, ‘The Disappearance of Josef Mengele’ will welcome audiences to the Politeama Rossetti. Closing the festival, on Saturday 24th January, will be Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s ‘Silent Friend’, once again at the Politeama Rossetti.
The festival will take place in Trieste from the 16th to the 24th January and will include feature films, documentaries, shorts, masterclasses and talks from the most eminent figures in Eastern European Cinema, from the established masters to the up-and-comers – both directors and actors.
Inaugurating the festival will be ‘Franz’ (distributed in Italy by Movies Inspired) by the Polish director Agnieszka Holland, returning after her success with ‘Green Border’ in 2023, which won the special jury prize at the Venice International Film Festival. After its Canadian and Spanish national premieres at Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival respectively, the most ambitious project of the director’s career also arrives in Italy: a biopic dedicated to the eminent 20th century Czech writer, Franz Kafka. Shortlisted at the EFAs and the Polish nominee for the 2026 Oscars, the film traces the mark Kafka has left on the world, from his birth in Prague in the 19th century, to his death in Vienna after the First World War.
Following the festival’s usual structure of a double opening, the Italian debut of ‘The Disappearance of Josef Mengele’ by Kirill Serebrennikov (distributed in Italy by Europictures), marks the festival’s relocation to the beautiful Politeama Rossetti. The film, which had its world premiere at Cannes, tells the life story of the man known as the ‘Angel of Death’. In the period after the second world war, Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor posted at Auschwitz, escapes to South America to build himself a new, secret, life. When rediscovered by his son, Mengele is forced to confront a past that he cannot ignore. From Buenos Aires, to Paraguay and Brazil, he methodically organises his disappearance to avoid any form of trial. On the morning of January 21st, the day after the screening, the director Kirill Serebrennikov will hold a masterclass, moderated by Joël Chapron - expert in Russian and Soviet cinema and longtime Cannes Film Festival collaborator.
Instead, the festival’s closing evening (January 24th – again at the Politeama Rossetti) will be dedicated to ‘Silent Fiend’ by Ildikó Enyedi (distributed in Italy by Movies Inspired). The film has already been in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, where the actress Luna Wedler received the “Marcello Mastroianni” Award, and shortlisted at the EFAs. In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed over a century the quiet rhythms of transformation across three human lives. 2020, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, exploring the mind of babies, begins an unexpected experiment with the old tree. 1972, a young student is profoundly changed by the simple act of observing and connecting with a geranium. 1908, the university’s first female student discovers, through the lens of photography, sacred patterns of the universe hidden within the humblest of plants. We follow their clumsy, awkward attempts to connect — each one of them deeply rooted in their own present — as they are transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature. The ancient ginkgo tree brings us closer to what it means to be human — to our longing to belong. The Hungarian director will meet the public in a masterclass in the afternoon of the last day.
Accreditation can be requested by following the instructions on: https://triestefilmfestival.it/biglietti-e-accrediti-3/ .
More information on www.triestefilmfestival.it
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