Wes Anderson pays homage to Fellini in documentary 'Fantastic Mr Fellini'

On the centenary of Federico Fellini's birth, Sky Arte aired 'Fantastic Mr Fellini', a documentary-interview directed by Francesco Zippel featuring Wes Anderson. The film explores Fellini's influence on Anderson, who discusses his admiration for the Italian director's work, from 'La Strada' to 'I Vitelloni'. Anderson identifies two souls in Fellini: a neorealist one and a more original one tied to his drawings. The documentary is structured in short chapters covering themes like Fellini's drawings, method, extras, creativity, music, and New York. It includes a voiceover by Stefano Accorsi reading Fellini's thoughts. Zippel, who also directed 'Friedkin Uncut', conceived the project to celebrate Fellini through Anderson's perspective. The documentary highlights Fellini's use of extras as 'precious collaborators' and his collaboration with composer Nino Rota, paralleling Anderson's work with Alexandre Desplat. The film aired on January 20, 2020, at 21:15 on Sky Arte and NOW TV.