Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti, 1971)

We warmly invite you to join us for a special screening of Death in Venice, presented in valued cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka.

As part of the evening, visitors are invited to view a poster and postcard exhibition in the lobby, featuring works by students of the Academy of Design (AOD). The exhibition presents visual interpretations of Thomas Mann’s life, works, and legacy and forms an integral part of the Thomas Mann 150 celebrations.

Visconti’s film adaptation is based on Thomas Mann’s novella Death in Venice. The composer Gustav von Aschenbach travels to Venice to recover, as his works are increasingly met with rejection and scandal. In Venice, he encounters the young boy Tadzio and becomes captivated by his flawless beauty. What begins as a quiet fascination soon grows into an all-consuming obsession, leading Aschenbach to remain in the city despite the outbreak of a cholera epidemic.

The film explores central themes such as transience, decay, and fundamental questions of human existence. After the film Dr. Asoka de Zoysa and Nimka Udapola are offering a discussion.