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Verona’s first science fiction festival announces the jury for its fourth edition (13–29 March 2025).
Six esteemed experts will evaluate the six films in competition at Cinema Nuovo San Michele and decide which one deserves the much desired “Critic’s Choice Award.”
The films in the programme, along with the selected short films, represent some of the most compelling works in contemporary independent science fiction cinema. EXTRA Sci-Fi Festival will offer the most exciting opportunity to watch them on the big screen.
We are excited to introduce our judges, armed with lightsabers and irresistible nerd appeal:
• Emanuele Antolini – journalist for Heraldo, CineFacts.it, and Ultracorpi, the journal of the University of Verona. His work explores how films shape and reflect personal perceptions.
• Nicola Cupperi (alias Toshiro Gifuni) – journalist for FilmTV and i400Calci. A dedicated film critic, he has extensively covered Italian film festivals
• Francesco Lughezzani – coordinator for the Circolo del Cinema since 2017. He co-founded the production company Ezme Film in 2020 where he works as a photographer and videomaker. As a film critic, he also contributes to audiovisual education projects.
• Valentina Romanzi – lecturer at the University of Verona, Valentina Romanzi, specialised in contemporary popular culture. She focuses on utopias, dystopias and (post-)apocalyptic narrations in science fiction. She is also an editor of the journal Iperstoria and part of the advisory committee for the journal ContactZone.
• Marco Triolo (alias George Rohmer) – journalist for i400Calci, Heraldo e Filmese. He has collaborated with ScreenWeek, Film.it, Ciak e Nocturno. In his spare time he writes, illustrates comics and raises horns with his metal band, the Witch Ghetto…
• Stefano Zattera – artist and cartoonist, one of the most followed figures of the underground Italian comic book scene, Stefano Zattera has contributed to numerous publications, both Italian and international (Il Male, il manifesto, Frigidaire, Linus). He is also the creator of the illustration for the first edition of EXTRA sci-fi festival Verona, 2022.
We can’t wait to discover how this remarkable jury will evaluate the films and the unique insights they will provide. With such a wealth of talent on display, the only question that remains is: which film will capture your beating heart in 2025?
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