“Memoria genera Futuro 2026” is an initiative promoted by Roma Capitale, Department of Culture and Coordination of initiatives related to the Holocaust Remembrance Day, coordinated by the Department of Cultural Activities, in collaboration with city institutions and organizations. Communication by Zètema Progetto Cultura.
On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026, the MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea presents, on January 27, a screening of PARAGRAPH 175 (2000, 81’), a documentary film directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, narrated by Rupert Everett. The screening will be introduced by Pietro Turano.
The film fills a crucial gap in the historical record, revealing the extent of the persecution of homosexuals by the Third Reich. The documentary brings together the testimonies of men and women who were arrested by the Nazi regime for homosexuality under Paragraph 175, the anti-sodomy law of the German penal code, first introduced in 1871 and later tightened. These are the stories of survivors, tormented by their memories yet driven by a profound will to endure. Their moving testimonies, accompanied by evocative images of their lives, recount a haunting and compelling story of human resistance. Intimate in its portrayals and far-reaching in its implications, PARAGRAPH175 raises crucial questions about memory, history, and identity.
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Free admission until capacity is reached.
The event will take place in the cinema hall.
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PIETRO TURANO (Rome, 1997) is an actor, author, and LGBTQIA+ activist. He played Filippo Sava in the cast of SKAM Italia on Netflix and is the author and voice of the podcast Eclissi as well as the creator of the theatre format Eclissi Talk. He recently made his debut at the Romaeuropa Festival with Several Love’s Requests, which he both wrote and performed. Alongside his work as an actor and author, Turano is actively engaged in LGBTQIA+ rights as Vice President of Arcigay Rome and as a national board member of Arcigay. He is also part of the Lazio Pride staff and has served as spokesperson for Gay Center / Gay Help Line. He has collaborated with major Italian newspapers such as La Repubblica and L’Espresso, writing on culture and civil rights, and currently contributes to the daily newspaper Domani. Since 2024, he has been curator of Rome’s FR*CINEMA festival. He has received the CIDU Human Rights Award from the interministerial group of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
ROB EPSTEIN AND JEFFREY FRIEDMAN, Academy Award–winning filmmakers with careers spanning nearly four decades, have created landmark documentaries that have helped change the course of queer cinema. Through an empathetic lens and a deep awareness of the cultural impact of images, Epstein and Friedman have brought to light pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history as well as the intimate experiences of the community, contributing to the construction of a collective memory and the reshaping of the contemporary imagination. Their best-known films include Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989), winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, The Celluloid Closet (1995), Paragraph 175 (2000), End Game (2018), and State of Pride (2019).