Famously inspired by his own case of ‘director’s block’, 8½ became one of Fellini’s most acclaimed films, regularly appearing on lists of the greatest films of all time compiled by organisations including the British Film Institute and the Vatican. His final film in black and white, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous director struggling to complete his latest project, in which he has lost interest. Distracted by his immensely complicated personal life, Guido takes refuge in both memory and fantasy. A film of inestimable influence, and one of the great films about filmmaking, 8½ has provided inspiration for directors from Rainer Werner Fassbinder to Bob Fosse to Charlie Kaufman and remains a towering achievement in world cinema.  

Screening as part of the Federico Fellini retrospective, April 4th to May 10th.