As part of the exhibition Marlene Dumas: Cycladic Blues, the Museum of Cycladic Art collaborates with the 15th Athens Open Air Film Festival powered by PPC to present the Cycladic Screening on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at Parko Eleftherias, with free admission.
The event will feature a screening of Mamma Roma (1962), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini—a film personally selected by Marlene Dumas as a source of inspiration, closely tied to her artistic exploration of the human form, emotional intensity, and the human condition.
Dumas has long held a deep interest in cinema and its potential as a medium of storytelling and expression. She is particularly drawn to films that focus on emotionally charged states, portrayals of the body, and themes of social or psychological marginalization. She has often cited the influence of Italian neorealism and Pasolini specifically, with elements of cinematic aesthetics—such as dramatic compositions, intense close-ups, and atmosphere—clearly present in many of her works.
Mamma Roma (1962) by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Anna Magnani, Ettore Garofolo, Franco Citti
One year after his directorial debut with Accattone, Pasolini continues his exploration of society’s margins, focusing on a spirited sex worker in a bustling (eternal) city. He reverently narrates a Christian allegory that elevates one deity: Anna Magnani. In the story of an honorable prostitute trying to secure a better, middle-class future for her son, Magnani devotes herself not to the men who sought to possess her, but to the one she gave birth to.
With the camera as a crucial observer of everyday tragic grandeur, Pasolini captures Mamma Roma’s “brilliant dream” within tightly framed shots and satirically critiques the illusion of escape. Freedom remains out of reach, the shadows of Rome’s neighborhoods foreshadow a tragic ending, and fate plays its unshaken, eternal game. Yet the fight for a better life remains the greatest motivator—and in the black-and-white world of Mamma Roma, the face of that struggle is a courageous mother. Not coincidentally, Pasolini’s next film was The Gospel According to Matthew.
Parko Eleftherias, Vasilissis Sofias Ave. (Metro: Megaro Mousikis)
Free admission
Screening Sponsor: Katherine Embiricos
www.cycladic.gr
