Pier Paolo Pasolini

His book of poetry was first published in 1942 titled "Poesie a Casarsa".

Pasolini's artistic work was put on hold in August 1943 when he was conscripted into the Italian army, at that time allied with the Germans. A few days after Italy's capitulation, Pasolini's regiment were captured by two Germans in a tank.

Member of the Italian Communist Party from 1947 to 1949. He was expelled because of his homosexuality.

Pier Paolo Pasolini achieved fame and notoriety long before he entered the film industry. A published poet at 19, he had already written numerous novels and essays before his first screenplay in 1954.

He caused national controversy with his first novel about slum life called "Ragazzi di vita" (1955). Another examination of the same themes was "Una vita violenta" (1959), translated as "A Violent Life".

His first film Accattone (1961) was based on his own novel and its violent depiction of the life of a pimp in the slums of Rome caused a sensation.

He was arrested in 1962 when his contribution to the portmanteau film Ro. Go. Pa. G.

(1963) was considered blasphemous and given a suspended sentence. It might have been expected that his next film, The Gospel According to St.

Matthew (1964) (The Gospel According to St. Matthew), which presented the Biblical story in a totally realistic, stripped-down style, would cause a similar fuss but, in fact, it was rapturously acclaimed as one of the few honest portrayals of Christ on screen. Its original Italian title pointedly omitted the Saint in St. Matthew).

Pasolini was also a poet, a painter and a novelist. He wrote about Semiotics in a paper called 'Il cinema di poesia' (1965). In it he says that cinema is "a non-conventional and non-symbolic language", that expresses reality through reality itself.

Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1966.

Was murdered shortly before the release of his controversial art film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). Though Giuseppe "Pino" Pelosi, a 17 year-old hustler was arrested for the murder after being caught with Pasolini's car and confessing to the murder, to this day the case remains unsolved. In 2005, Pelosi revealed that Pasolini was killed by three men linked to political groups opposed to the director's films and politics. The case was briefly reopened and later dismissed due to lack of evidence. Another story revolves around Pasolini meeting with extortionists who stole footage from Salò.

Retrospective at the Kerala International Film Festival, India. [2000]

Retrospective at the São Paulo International Film Festival. [2002]