Pasolini centenary marked by national film archive

Pier Paolo Pasolini on the set of his film 'Accattone' in 1960 Keystone / Str

The Swiss Film Archive in Lausanne is paying tribute to the Italian film director and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini on the centenary of his birth with the screening of five films next month.

Pasolini, who was born on March 5, 1922, and murdered in mysterious circumstances in 1975, remains “one of the most controversial and fascinating filmmakers of Italian cinema”, the archive said on its websiteExternal link.

“His work often triggered strong controversy and provoked debates because of the radical nature of his convictions, which were highly critical of the bourgeoisie and the emerging consumerist society,” it said.

To mark the centenary of Pasolini’s birth, five of his films from the 1960s will be screened from November 5-25, including his directorial debut Accattone (1961) and his next film, Mamma Roma (1962).

Also on the programme are Edipo re (Oedipus Rex) (1967) and Medea (1969), which revisit ancient Greek myths. And finally what Pasolini called his favourite film Uccellacci e uccellini (The Hawks and the Sparrows) (1966), starring Totò.