A homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini on the 100-year anniversary of his birth will take place at the legendary Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CA. in September. It follows the recent successful Pasolini complete retrospective ‘Carnal Knowledge” that Cinecittá premiered at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Cinema Italia San Francisco of Classic 
Italian movies celebrates the life and legacy of the intellectual director with a selection of his films: Mamma Roma (1962), Accattone (1961), Medea (1969) and Saló or the 120 Days of Sodom (1976); the program also includes the biopic Pasolini (2014) by Abel Ferrara and a reception for selected guests at the Castro Mezzanine by Rudy of C´era una Volta restaurant.
The event is a presentation of Cinecittá, The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, Cinema Italia San Francisco and Artistic Soul Association. Day pass / tickets: www.cinemaitaliasf.com
Long before the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) made his own homosexuality the subject of his poetry and novels. Since his childhood in Bologna, he loved playing soccer. As a writer, filmmaker and journalist he had concerns with WWII Italian Society and Fascism. He was deeply influenced by religion -Catholicism- and sexuality, a repressed society inspired his body of work. Openly gay, he was a critic of capitalism and Europe´s bourgeois.
Once a member of the Italian Communist Party, from where he was publically outed against his will, he moved to Rome. He was a well-known personality in the European cultural scene. A controversial figure, he hated conformity and related it to social and cultural oppression, intellectual death, and violence (as said by Armado Maggi) .
Franco Citti
Anna Magnani, Maria Callas, Terence Stamp and Silvana Mangano collaborated with Pasolini in his artistry providing indelible portraits of the History of Cinema and feeding our collective imagination as cinema lovers. About Pasolini´s films, made just over a decade, Ashley Carter (Leftlion) wrote: For his candor and independence he deserves his reputation as one of the most enigmatic masters of European filmmaking, he built a bridge between neo-realists like Fellini and the vibrancy of latter filmmakers as Bertolucci.
In his own words:* I love life fiercely, even desperately. I believe that this ferocity and this desperation will only lead to my destruction. I love the sun, the grass, youth. It has become for me a vice more terrible than cocaine. I devour my existence with an insatiable appetite. How will all of this end? I don´t know…
*Pier Paolo Pasolini interviewed by Louis Valentin. – Journal Lui, No.1 June, 1970
The homage to Pasolini at Castro Theatre on Sept. 10, 2022, is perfect for a festive rendez vous with the Italian provocateur and celebrating the Castro Theatre on its own centennial.
P.S. Look forward to other Pasolini films: The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964), Teorema (1968), and Porcile (1969).
PS CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! Help us to present the one-day film festival Pasolini 100: Homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini on Saturday, September 10 at the Castro Theatre. For details about this volunteer opportunity, email: [email protected]. We’re looking for amicable ticket takers and greeters. It’s a great chance to meet other cinephiles and see some of Pasolini’s best films. For more info, tickets and passes, www.cinemaitaliasf.com
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of
El Azar Cultural, raised as a Catholic, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities
life brings and eager to live the experience.
Labels: 2022, castro theater, centential, homage, José Mayorga, Pier Paolo Pasolini
