FELLINI FORWARD
Italy, 2021, 45 minutes, Colour.
Maximillian Niemann, Zackary, Canepari, Drea Cooper.
2020 saw the centenary of the birth of celebrated Italian director, Federico Fellini. He was featured at various festivals around the world, revivals of his films, documentaries and interviews.
2021 saw this 45 minute documentary at the Venice Film Festival.
In many ways it is a tribute to Fellini, admiration for his films, admiration for his genius, his directorial eye, his perceptions of the world, serious and comic. And the question arises, can artificial intelligence re-create, re-interpret the Fellini genius and come up with a new film.
Which raises the question of computer technology, algorithms, the downloading of data, preservation of data, experiments to draw on the data and produce something new.
There are many talking heads in the film, experts on Fellini, professors of cinema, reviewers, interviews with some of those who worked with Fellini, especially production designer, Dante Ferretti. Significant and authoritative is the voice of Fellini’s niece, Federica Fabbri Fellini.
There are many roundtable discussions, especially with the designated director of the film, his perspectives and hopes. There is an actor who will take the place of Fellini as Well Is an actress who will be a woman in red. There is also an admiral, Japanese.
In fact, the group produces a 10 minute film in the Fellini 8 ½ mode. It does look and sound like a Fellini film – something of an imitation, something of a tribute. It means that AI can be creative.
But, ultimately, many of the speakers point out that while the films themselves had many collaborators, screenwriters, improvisations on set, unexpected contributions which could parallel the interventions by AI, there is the individuality of the director, the particular aspects of genius, personal touches, that AI can reproduce, imitate, but, we might say, are not the real thing.
Certainly, an interesting documentary and a reminder of so many aspects of Fellini’s genius.
