Fellini Fellini Fellini!

As part the Bell Lightbox’s latest exhibit, Fellini: Spectacular Obsessions, TIFF has invited filmmakers and critics from around the world to help curate a film series that pairs one of Federico Fellini’s cinematic masterpieces along with a film that is “Felliniesque” in nature.

The series kicked off last week with one of the Maestro’s most beloved films, 8 ½, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Beware of a Holy Whore (as selected by Atom Egoyan). Toby Dammit played with Dario Argento’s Suspiria (selected by producer James Schamus), and Roma was matched with Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (which Apichatpong Weerasethakul chose).

If that batch of screenings has piqued your interest, then the rest of the series, which runs until August 26, is going to make your film buff brain explode.

Isabella Rossellini has paired the marvelous La Strada with Charlie Chaplin’s equally great Limelight (La Strada also plays with Jane Campion’s An Angel at My Table thanks to actress/filmmaker Miranda July). Juliet of the Spirits screens with Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (selected by TIFF programmer Jesse Wente), and Fellini’s Casanova and Hal Ashby’s Shampoo are paired courtesy TIFF director Piers Handling.

Still not enough Fellini for ya?

How about City of Women with Frank Perry’s The Swimmer (selected by Frédéric Boyer) or I Vitelloni with Barry Levinson’s Diner (picked by film critic Molly Haskell)? Deepa Mehta has paired Nights of Cabiria with Satyajit Ray’s Devi, and erotic filmmaker Radley Metzger has selected The Clowns and Marcel Carné’s Children of Paradise to play together.

The series wraps up with Satyricon and Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane, selected by Bell Lightbox artistic director Noah Cowan.

What an awesome way to spend a few summer nights.

For more information on the Fellini double bills, and to purchase tickets, visit tiff.net.

Top image: A scene from The Clowns. Courtesy TIFF.