ReThinkable Festival

What is RETHINKABLE? ReThinkable is not just a festival. It’s a process, a platform, and a growing community that works year-round to imagine and test new ways of living and working—starting from the borderlands between Italy and Slovenia. What began as a local initiative in Northeastern Italy has become a unique gathering in the heart of Europe.

ReThinkable Festival 2025 – (In)dependency(ies) / (In)dipendenza(e) / (So)odvisnost(i)

24–26 October 2025 · Gorizia + Nova Gorica

The ReThinkable Festival, a cross-border festival of transformative economies, returns to the twin cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica from 24 to 26 October 2025, with three days of meetings, workshops, and shared practices exploring new models of sustainable living and economies. For three days, the two cities will become a vibrant hub of cross-border dialogue on social, cultural, and environmental practices that prioritize the well-being of people, communities, and the planet.

The 2025 theme, (In)dependency(ies), investigates the dynamics of independence and interdependence shaping relationships between individuals, communities, and ecosystems. It is not a celebration of self-sufficiency as isolation, but an invitation to reflect on our ability to act and create together within networks of social, ecological, and cultural reciprocity.

Festival events will take place at several venues: the Auditorium of Friulian Culture, Casa Netural, and the Ronco dei Masi farm in Gorizia, as well as the Xcenter in Nova Gorica, a cultural hub for innovation and contemporary art.

A highlight of this edition is the Transformative Economies Fair, bringing together Gorizia and Nova Gorica for the first time in a shared space of exchange and experimentation. The program includes the Swap Party, Repair Café Trento, Cas*Aupa – Plasticart, and educational activities by Il Cerchio Magico APS on biodiversity and sustainability.

Each day of the festival begins with the body — symbolizing freedom of movement, listening, and presence. Three practices offer diverse approaches to embodiment and awareness: ReThinking the Body through Somatic Choreographic Assemblage by Rosamond Martin (UK), Body Tissues – Creative Dance Fux Method by Laura Spanghero, and Finding Breath Again by Annalisa Vivarelli.

Returning this year is the panel “Communities that Work: Solidarity Economy between Practices and Policies”, featuring Francesca Marconi, Matteo Rossi, and Michele Tait, moderated by Adanella Rossi (University of Pisa), in collaboration with proDES-FVG and RIES.

At the Xcenter, artist Sybille Neumeyer presents her project “Almanac for Variable Atmospheres”, weaving together art, ecology, and collective imagination. The venue will also host the exhibition “The Fourth Cocoon”, a co-production by ReThinkable, BIEN, and Pixxelpoint, exploring the textile heritage of the Gorizia region and more-than-human futures.

The program also includes financial literacy and resilience workshops, a panel on local food systems (From Field to Table), the Italian premiere of the documentary “Chirimbolo” by Cuban filmmaker Oscar Pérez, and the video work Europa (2025) by Jatun Risba & Franco G. Livera.

The festival will conclude with the ReThinkable Sagra at Ronco dei Masi farm — a cross-border celebration of music, poetry, and community, featuring a menu created by chef Monika Bløch using recovered ingredients, and poetry readings curated by Riccardo Redivo.

All events are free and open to the public.
Full program available at www.rethinkablefestival.com/programma-2025
For more information: info@rethinkablefestival.com