Damned Passion – Pier Paolo Pasolini on the 50th Anniversary of His Death

In 2025, it has been 50 years not only since the premiere of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s final film but also since his tragic death. The Italian artist remains a figure of controversy and debate, yet this milestone anniversary presents an opportunity to take a more critical and less conventional look at his literary and cinematic works – vast and complex – as well as his political and intellectual engagement. The beginning and the end of his directorial career, a bitter and symbolic “diptych” – Accattone (1961) and Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) – serve as a focal point for analyzing his persona. Though vastly different, both films encapsulate the passion and ideology that Pasolini embraced as an intellectual while also revealing – and concealing – the contradictions that defined him.

Who was Pier Paolo Pasolini? Who is he today? This remains an opportunity and an invitation.

The section is curated by Stanisław Bardadin.