19/06/2020 - The documentary produced for the centenary of Federico Fellini’s birth explores the master's spiritual and supernatural world, as recounted by Terry Gilliam and William Friedkin, to name a few

The Cannes Film Festival’s Online Marché du Film (22-26 June) will see Italian firms Nexo Digital and RAI Com present to international buyers the long awaited world premiere of Fellini of the Spirits [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Anselma Dell'Olio’s documentary marking the centenary of the great Master’s birth. Produced by Mad Entertainment in league with Rai Cinema and in co-production with Walking the Dog, Arte and RAI Com, the documentary leans on archive material from RAI Teche and the Istituto Luce, images from his films and exclusive interviews so as to explore, for the very first time, the unseen spiritual and supernatural world which fascinated Federico Fellini.

Deeply in love with life, Fellini spent his existence continually pursuing its meaning. This documentary is an in-depth investigation of his passion for what he described, quite simply, as the mysterious and the esoteric, in an ongoing search for other possibilities, other dimensions, other journeys – those which allows the mind and the spirit to soar.

These elements, which are present in all of his works, were originally the focus of his investigations with the great Jungian psychoanalyst Ernst Bernhard, who not only revealed to him the secrets of the subconscious, but also unveiled a new vision of the world through tarot readings and consultation of the I Ching. But it was his meeting with the teacher Gustavo Rol, known for Juliet of the Spirits, that proved to him, by way of experiments, that other dimensions really do exist and that there’s no end to the human journey.

Here to recount the magical world of Fellini are a chorus of voices, ranging from the tarot reader endlessly consulted by Fellini, Marina Ceratto, to Terry Gilliam; from Gustavo Rol’s psychic friend Giuditta Mascioscia to the director Damien Chazelle; from Fellini’s closest collaborators and friends to Oscar-winning filmmakers like William Friedkin.

Another market world premiere to be unveiled by international film events pioneer Nexo Digital is Pompeii - Sin City, which is directed by Pappi Corsicato, the visionary, Neapolitan director of I buchi neri and Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait [+see also:
trailer
film profile], who, since 1994, has made over 30 documentaries on contemporary art. Cannes’ virtual market will host a 5-minute extract of this journey back in time two thousand years, which lays bare the myths and the characters who have contributed to the timelessness of this extraordinary city, enhanced by outstanding narration from Isabella Rossellini. Produced by Sky, Ballandi Arts and Nexo Digital.

A Cannes Market world premiere is also on the cards for post-production title Tutankhamun. The Last Exhibition, by Ernesto Pagano (Vita di Marzouk), which celebrates the centenary of the discovery of the Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb. The documentary gives viewers the incredible opportunity to meet Tutankhamun on the big screen, for the very first time, alongside 150 objects chosen from among his treasures which have become part of the biggest international exhibition ever dedicated to the golden boy. "Be sure to get a look at them before they return to Egypt for good”, encouraged Mostafa Waziry, secretary general of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

(Translated from Italian)