Screening of two films with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney
The 2026 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival marks the seventh edition of one of Australia’s most important events dedicated to fantasy and science fiction cinema.
The festival will take place from October 9 to 11, 2026, at the renowned EVENT Cinemas George Street complex in the heart of Sydney.
In addition to short films and documentaries, major Australian and world premieres, the program offers a global overview of science fiction, including both space operas and retrospectives.
As part of the program, a special Italian double event will take place on October 10, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney.
This will feature the international premiere of a digitally animated medium-length film celebrating the 90th anniversary of Saturn against the Earth/Saturno Contro la Terra (the first Italian science fiction comic book created by Cesare Zavattini) and a screening of Mario Bava’s masterpiece Planet of the Vampires/Terrore nello spazio (1965).
- 10 October 2026, at 1:00 PM – EVENT Cinemas George Street
Screening of the animated film Saturn against the Earth, in Italian with English subtitles, preceded by an interview with Professor Lorenzo Benadusi, author of the book “The World to Come. Italians and the Future 1851-1945” (Laterza, 2025).
Before and after the screening, a special English edition of the original 1936 comic book based on a story by Cesare Zavattini will be available for purchase.
- 10 October 2026, at 3:30 PM – EVENT Cinemas George Street
Screening of Mario Bava’s film Planet of the Vampires (1965) in the original English language.
Ticketed events, information and tickets at: www.sydneysciencefictionfilmfestival.com.au
PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES | Terrore nello spazio (Dir: Mario Bava; Italy/Spain, 1965)
Legendary filmmaker Mario Bava’s masterpiece follows two massive spacecraft as they set out to explore the unknown planet Aura. Considered a precursor to Ridley Scott’s ALIEN and an inspiration for Scott’s later film PROMETHEUS, this sci-fi thriller features legendary designer Carlo Rambaldi’s massive alien skeletons, cinematic iconography that contributes an otherworldly terror to Bava’s eerie interplanetary odyssey.
SATURN AGAINST THE EARTH | Saturno contro la Terra (Dir: Luciana Sympa; Italy, 80 mins) | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
Ninety years ago, Cesare Zavattini, the father of Neorealism, imagined the future by creating the first Italian science fiction comic series – Saturno conto la Terra. It is a work that has become iconic in global graphic novel history. To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Italian digital artists have brought the characters and story to vivid life using cutting-edge animation technologies. This Special Event Screening, brought to EVENT Cinemas as part of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival in conjunction with the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney, will include an interview with Prof. Lorenzo Benadusi, author of the book “The World to Come. Italians and the Future 1851-1945”, on the history and social impact of Italian science fiction over a century of cinema, literature and comics.