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Che strano chiamarsi Federico (How Strange to be Named Federico)

Ettore Scola
93' / 2013 / Italy
Web: http://www.lucherinipignatelli.com/materiali-stampa/category/84-che-strano-chiamarsi-federico.html
Italian
Spanish subtitled

The film is a tribute to and a portrait of Federico Fellini, told by Ettore Scola on the twentieth anniversary of the great director’s death. Other than Fellini’s incredibly rich cinema – a shared treasure for a worldwide audience – a devoted admirer of the incomparable maestro wants to commemorate a few private and lesser-known aspects of Fellini’s personality. He would like to evoke the privilege of knowing him and the emotions he provoked in all who listened to him with his irony and his thoughts on "life as a party”. The film recounts their encounter in the newsroom of the satirical paper Marc'Aurelio", their friendships with Ruggero Maccari, Ennio Flaiano, Alberto Sordi and Marcello Mastroianni, the mutual visits their sets in the mythical Theatre 5 of Cinecittà Studios and other shared experiences that cemented their enduring friendship. From his debut in 1939 as a young designer to his fifth Oscar in 1993, year of his seventy-third and last birthday, Federico is depicted as a great Pinocchio that fortunately never turned into a "proper boy". A brief film, perhaps a little cubist, made out of moments, fragments, and scattered impressions in an alternation of scripted scenes, reconstructed and shot in Cinecittà and archive material made available by Istituto Luce and RAI.

Director's Biography

Born in Trevico in the province of Avellino, in the late 40's Ettore Scola joins the group of comedians collaborating on the satirical magazine "Marc’Aurelio" which allows him, a few years later, to begin his apprenticeship as a writer with Metz and Marchesi. In 1964, after more than seventy screenplays for other directors, he makes his directorial debut with “Se permettete parliamo di donne”, written with Maccari. In 1970 he directs Dramma della Gelosia for which Mastroianni wins the Palme d 'Or for Best Actor. However, it is only with the 1974 generational portrait C’eravamo Tanto Amati that he is recognizied as one of the leading authors of Italian cinema. In 1976, Brutti, Sporchi e Cattivi wins the award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Competition. The following year, Una Giornata Particolare earns him a David di Donatello for Best Director as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. In the 80s, which had begun with the fierce portrait La Terrazza (1980), he abandons comedy to devote himself to period films like Il Mondo Nuovo (1982) and Ballando Ballando (1984). The latter garners both a David di Donatello and a Silver Bear for Best Director. He then directs La Famiglia (1987), winner of three David di Donatello, two Nastro D’Argento and an Oscar nomination, followed by Che ora è? (1989) for which the protagonists, Mastroianni and Troisi, are honored with Best Actorawards at the Venice International Film Festival. In 1995 Scola returns to comedy with Romanzo di un giovane povero, while La Cena (1998) presents a fresco of Italy in the 90s. After Concorrenza Sleale (2001) and Gente di Roma (2003), a heartfelt tribute to the Eternal City, he directs the documentary Sergio Amidei - Portrait of a writer of cinema (1995). In 2011 he is awarded the David di Donatello for Lifetime Achievement. Che strano chiamarsi Federico - Scola racconta Fellini (2013) is his most recent film.



Se proyectará conjuntamente con:
I VITELLONI (Los Inútiles)
Director Federico Fellini
País / Country Italia, Francia / Italy, France
Año de producción / Year of Production 1953
Duración / Running Time 107 min
Idioma original / Language Italiano / Italian

I CLOWNS (The Clowns / Los Clowns)
Director Federido Fellini
País / Country Italia, Francia, Alemania / Italy, France, Germany
Año de producción / Year of Production 1970
Duración / Running Time 89 min
Idioma original / Language Italiano, Francés, Alemán / Italian, French, German