# DeepCon

DeepCon (also Deepcon) is an Italian science fiction, fantasy and horror fan convention, covering multiple (ideally all) entertainment forms and media (e.g.: film, television, literature, comics, music, computer), mixed with a dose of actual, real-world science.

## History

The last two decades of the twentieth century were a relatively difficult time for science fiction in Italy, regardless of medium. Thus DeepCon was conceived to promote its visibility and viability as a genre, as well as a general SF fan convention.
Collaborations were sought with television stations, distributors and authoring firms, both for promotion and for panels explaining the behind-the-scenes work needed in order to air or sell a TV show or a movie. By the same token, TV and film actors and crew were present at all of the past DeepCons: actors, make-up artists, pre-production and post-production crew, scriptwriters, and so on.
Literature was not neglected, either. For several years, the convention's organizing committee was entrusted by WorldSF Italia with running Italcon [it] (a convention for professionals) within DeepCon. Since then, publishers, translators, international artists and writers participate and roam the venue.
As a highlight, parent Italian fan club Deep Space One was awarded for 2009 by European Science Fiction Society the privilege of organizing Eurocon (a Europe-level convention), with guests from all over the continent.
By that time, the SF focus of the convention had already broadened to include fantasy and horror as well.
Since most attendees and even some guests had a strong interest in actual science, efforts were made to officially include scientific and quasi-scientific topics in the program: aeronautics, astronautics, astronomy, astrophysics, computer science, archaeology, the paranormal (both for and against). Members of ASI, NASA, Northrop, CICAP were guests multiple times.
Deepcon 21, originally planned for March 2020, had to be delayed, then canceled in compliance with nation-wide countermeasures against COVID-19. It was then rescheduled as DeepCon 21 + Eurocon 2021 + Italcon 47 for July 2021.

## Typical features

* Entertainment-related panels
* Real world-related panels
* Art exhibitions
* Dealers' room
* Mingling all convention long, often with the guests, too
* Charity auction
* EatCon (food- and drink-related attendee-driven sub-event)
* Gala dinner
* Costume contest
* Autograph signing sessions
* Sunbathing (rare, due to the unfavorable season)
* Spa (charged separately)
* Unplanned, impromptu extras

## Typical topics

* Anime
* Babylon 5
* Battlestar Galactica
* Birth of a character
* Birth of an actor
* Black holes and Einstein-Rosen bridges
* CGI
* Cartoons
* Comics writing
* Definition of "horror"
* Different lifestyles in different parts of our planet (and other planets)
* The Dragonriders of Pern
* Farscape
* The History of computing
* How to make yourselves up like you just lost a fight with the Hulk
* The ISS
* James Bolivar "Slippery Jim" DiGriz, the Stainless Steel Rat
* Literary translation
* Manga
* Nathan Never
* Space probe design
* Star Trek
* Star Wars
* Stargate
* UFO
* Nicolas Eymerich
* Video translation, language localisation, lip-synching and dubbing
* Wikipedia

## Editions

| Edition | Starting date | Announced guests |
| DeepCon 1 | March 2000 (2000-03) | Ed Bishop |
| DeepCon 2 | 8 March 2001 (2001-03-08) | Andrew J. Robinson Lolita Fatjo Stephen Furst C. Ian Russo Gianluca Masi Gabriella Cordone Gianfranco Viviani [it] Marco Della Corte Fabiana Redivo [it] |
| DeepCon 3 + Italcon 28 | 7 March 2002 (2002-03-07) | Anne McCaffrey Harry Harrison Max Grodénchik Lolita Fatjo Peter Williams Natalie Wood |
| DeepCon 4 | 6 March 2003 (2003-03-06) | Tim Russ Chase Masterson Ed Bishop Michael Billington Natalie Wood Lolita Fatjo Eric A. Stillwell Giuseppe Lippi [it] Silvio Sosio [it] Lanfranco Fabriani [it] Elisabetta Vernier [it] Carlo Recagno [it] Suzanne Fuentes Franco Mallia [it] Mario Di Sora [it] Tino Franco |
| DeepCon 5 + Italcon 30 + Xenacon 1 | 11 March 2004 (2004-03-11) | Ian Watson Ethan Phillips Paris Jefferson Lolita Fatjo Angelica Tintori [it] Alessandro Vietti Giuseppe Prosperini Bruno Pulcinelli Suzanne Fuentes |
| DeepCon 6 + Italcon 31 | 17 March 2005 (2005-03-17) | Roberto Vacca [it] Umberto Guidoni Carlo Cosolo [it] Lolita Fatjo Janet Nemecek Larry Nemecek Joseph Nassise Jeremy Bulloch Garrett Wang Paolo De Crescenzo Emiliano Santalucia Francesco Rea Gabriele Catanzaro Gianluca Masi |
| DeepCon 7 + Italcon 32 | 23 March 2006 (2006-03-23) | Ugo Malaguti [it] Walter Piperno Andrea Salsi Carlo Cosolo Corrado Giustozzi [it] Paolo Attivissimo [it] Gianfranco Casano C. Ian Russo Carlo Recagno Andrea Ward [it] Valerio Evangelisti Bernardo Lanzetti Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Lolita Fatjo Alexander Siddig Anthony Simcoe Patricia Tallman Jeffrey Willerth Gerald Home |
| DeepCon 8 + Italcon 33 | 22 March 2007 (2007-03-22) | Connor Trinneer Peter Jurasik Virginia Hey Lolita Fatjo Eric A. Stillwell Richard K. Morgan Mauro Antonio Miglieruolo [it] Andrea Salsi Alessandro Vietti |
| DeepCon 9 + Italcon 34 | 13 March 2008 (2008-03-13) | Vittorio Catani Walter Piperno Vittorio Cotronei Lolita Fatjo Mira Furlan Suzie Plakson Ruth Nestvold Fabrizio Pucci [it] Beatrice Margiotti [it] |
| DeepCon 10 + Eurocon 2009 + Italcon 35 | 26 March 2009 (2009-03-26) | Giuseppe Lippi Lolita Fatjo Marina Sirtis Anthony Simcoe Max Grodénchik Larry Nemecek Janet Nemecek Ian Watson Sergey Lukyanenko Bruce Sterling Geoffrey Landis Mary Turzillo |
| DeepCon 11 + Italcon 36 | 15 April 2010 (2010-04-15) | Alfredo Castelli Lolita Fatjo Claudia Christian André Bormanis Robert Picardo Diane Duane Peter Morwood |
| DeepCon 12 | 14 April 2011 (2011-04-14) | Robin Curtis Lanfranco Fabriani Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 13 | 22 March 2012 (2012-03-22) | Giuseppe Lippi Bruce Boxleitner David Nykl Giulio Leoni [it] Peter Morwood Diane Duane Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 14 | 14 March 2013 (2013-03-14) | Nana Visitor Paul McAuley Maurizio Manzieri |
| DeepCon 15 | 27 March 2014 (2014-03-27) | Emiliano Longobardi Dominic Keating Ian McDonald Keiran McGreevy John Couch Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 16 | 19 March 2015 (2015-03-19) | Giuseppe Festino Kate Vernon Stefano Dubay Umberto Guidoni Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 17 | 17 March 2016 (2016-03-17) | Walter Koenig Ken MacLeod Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 18 | 6 April 2017 (2017-04-06) | Peter Williams Lavie Tidhar Giuseppe Lippi Eric A. Stillwell Lolita Fatjo Giampietro Casasanta Marco Casolino |
| DeepCon 19 | 19 April 2018 (2018-04-19) | Ira Steven Behr David Zappone Charles Stross Rick Larson Claude Lalumière Lolita Fatjo Hanne Madeleine Paine Emiliano Longobardi Dany & Dany |
| DeepCon 20 | 21 March 2019 (2019-03-21) | Nicole de Boer Clelia Farris [it] Francesco Verso Frank Ma Mario Giorgioni Lolita Fatjo |
| DeepCon 21 + Eurocon 2021 + Italcon 47 | 15 July 2021 (2021-07-15) | Chase Masterson Ian McDonald Marco Casolino Giuliano Giuffrida Shun Iwasawa Eric A. Stillwell Maurizio Manzieri Licia Troisi Hanne Madeleine Paine |
| DeepCon 22 | 24 March 2022 (2022-03-24) | David Nykl Lolita Fatjo Licia Troisi Garrett Wang Francesco Verso Eric A. Stillwell Giuliano Giuffrida Original Boardgames |
| DeepCon 23 | 16 March 2023 (2023-03-16) | Gary Jones Robert O'Reilly Marco Casolino Gianfranco de Turris |
| DeepCon 24 | 14 March 2024 (2024-03-14) | Brian Muir Fabiana Redivo Loredana Atzei Antonio Porcu Nicola Marco Camedda Original Boardgames |