From September 30 to October 3, 2025, Gorizia and Nova Gorica took center stage as hosts of the 25th edition of the Incontri del Cinema d’Essai (Art House Cinema Meetings), the national event organized by FICE – the Italian Federation of Art House Cinemas. Around 600 film industry professionals – including exhibitors, producers, distributors, artists, and accredited journalists – gathered from all over Italy to preview the major stories and high-quality cinema that await in the upcoming film season.

For the first time, the event took place across two cities and two countries, celebrating the title of European Capital of Culture 2025, shared by Gorizia and Nova Gorica. This edition was special not only for being the first cross-border one, but also for its unprecedented program: 25 film premieres were presented – a record for the film festival.

At the opening and closing of the FICE Days, the eight winning short films of the "Corti senza confine" ("Shots without borders") call for entries were premiered. This initiative was strongly supported by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia – Central Directorate for Culture, in collaboration with the FVG Film Commission – PromoTurismoFVG. These eight unique and original works explore the theme of the “absence of borders”, each featuring Piazza Transalpina / Trg Evrope – a symbolic place of unity and overcoming divisions – as a recurring element. The closing evening took place in the evocative setting of Piazza Transalpina itself and was attended by a large and curious audience eager to witness the first screening of the short films, all of which were created in the Gorizia and cross-border area during the summer of the previous year.

The 2025 edition unfolded over four full days dedicated to cinema, with advanced screenings, panel discussions, meetings with filmmakers and actors, and spaces for dialogue open to both the public and industry professionals. Activities took place mainly at the Kinemax cinema in Gorizia, the "Ugo Casiraghi" Media Library, Casa Krainer, and the UGG – Unione Ginnastica Goriziana, which for the first time hosted the awards ceremony.

One of the most anticipated moments of the event was the FICE Awards ceremony, celebrating excellence in quality cinema. This year, Gorizia welcomed many award-winning guests:

• Jan Cvitkovič – director

• Cristiano Travaglioli – editor

• Gianmarco Franchini – emerging actor

• Francesco Sossai – director

• Teresa Saponangelo – actress

• Gabriel Montesi – actor

• Sonia Bergamasco – actress and first-time director

• Paolo Virzì – director

The closing event, held in Ljubljana, featured the presentation of an additional award to the timely and powerful film The Voice of Hind Rajab, presented by Stojan Pelko, Program Director of GO! 2025, and received by Motaz Malhees, the film's lead actor. Participants of the event were moreover welcomed by the Italian Ambassador in Slovenia, Giuseppe Cavagna. 

The FICE Meetings have a long-standing tradition, serving for over two decades as a key reference point for Italian art house cinema. For GO! 2025 and the European Capital of Culture celebrations in Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the Meetings took on a cross-border and multilingual dimension for the first time. Events animated the Palace of Cinema | Hiša Filma, the Kinemax multiplex in Gorizia, the Ugo Casiraghi Media Library, Kulturni Dom in Gorizia, and crossed the border to the Kulturni Dom in Nova Gorica, with some screenings reserved exclusively for cinema professionals and others open to the public.

Screenings were also extended across the region, involving Cinema Ariston in Trieste, Cinemazero in Pordenone, and Visionario in Udine. Given the exceptional nature of the 2025 edition, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the EGTC GO supported the series of events, while also promoting the European Capital of Culture and its message of overcoming borders.