In 2025, we mark the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of Pier Paolo Pasolini – one of the most uncompromising and controversial figures in European cinema. A director, writer, poet, and thinker, Pasolini spent his life disrupting the status quo and asking the uncomfortable questions – about power, the body, sexuality, violence, and oppression. His work, deeply rooted in the social and political reality of 1960s and 70s Italy, continues to fascinate, disturb, and provoke reflection to this day.

To commemorate this milestone, both Timeless Film Festival Warsaw and Malta Festival Poznań have prepared special artistic events dedicated to Pasolini and his legacy.

The second edition of Timeless Film Festival Warsaw will take place from April 7–14, 2025, and, true to its name, will be dedicated to films that have stood the test of time. The program will include over 160 titles from across the globe: from American classics and European masterpieces to bold auteur cinema and rediscovered gems.

One of the key segments of this year’s edition is the section “Cursed Passion: Pier Paolo Pasolini – 50 Years After His Death”, offering a cinematic portrait of the artist who reshaped the language of Italian—and global—cinema. Audiences will see both his directorial debut, Accattone (1961), and his final and most infamous film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)—a dark, brutal work still considered one of the most shocking films of the 20th century. The program will also feature La Macchinazione (The Intrigue, 2016), directed by David Grieco—a film that seeks to uncover the mystery surrounding Pasolini’s death on a football field by the beach in Ostia.

As part of Malta Festival 2025, audiences in Poznań will be invited to experience a unique performative event: “Embodying Pasolini”, created by Tilda Swinton and Olivier Saillard. This performance pays homage to Pasolini not only as a filmmaker but as an icon of thought, aesthetics, and radical independence.

At the heart of the performance are the original costumes from Salò, presented live on stage in a completely new context—intertwining fashion, performance, the body, and memory. Tilda Swinton—one of the most vital actors of our time—and Olivier Saillard—fashion historian and former director of Palais Galliera—create a narrative where clothing becomes both witness and carrier of history and ideas.

“Embodying Pasolini” will be one of the key events of Malta Festival 2025, which this year opens itself more boldly to reflections on the politics of the body, artistic heritage, and radical forms of expression.

Pasolini’s presence in both the Timeless and Malta Festival programs represents not only a symbolic bridge between cinema and theatre, but also an urgent return to voices that dared to say “no” to a world dominated by violence, systems, and silence.

Even 50 years later, Pasolini’s voice still resonates.

🎟️ Full program and tickets for Timeless Film Festival available at: www.timelessfilmfestival.pl