GENEVA, FEBRUARY 18 – Federico Fellini Genius of Humanity. This is the name of the exhibition at the Palais des Nations in Geneva that highlights the importance of Fellini’s films in illustrating humanistic values through his art. The exhibition is sponsored by The Italian Permanent mission in Geneva, Foundation Fellini, and the UN Office of Cultural Activities. Italy’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, inaugurated the exhibition with a ribbon cutting ceremony in occasion of Italy’s recent election to the UN Council on Human Rights.
The initiative paves the way for other celebrations honoring Fellini. 2020 will be the first century since the film maestro’s birth whose accolades include Palme D’Or for Dolce Vita, 12 Oscar nominations, four Oscar wins for best foreign film, and an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1993. The exhibit will be open for 10 days and will close, on February 28, with a viewing of Fellini’s La Strada starring his wife, Giulietta Masina.
The exhibit aims to revisit some of cinemas most significant works and 20th-century art more generally. The exhibition will display certain themes present in Fellini’s films such as the idea of life as a circus, presented in La Strada, Otto e Mezzo, and his last film, La Voce della Luna; the importance of cinema in creating a story as seen in Dolce Vita and The Ships Sails On; and finally the importance of Rome and Satyricon as settings. In sum, the exhibit will offer viewers an interactive experience into the creative mind of the director through the selection of over 15,000 original documents that the Fellini Foundation has in its collections. The foundation was established in 2001.
