Fellini Film Series at Fitchburg State

Our Center for Italian Culture took a closer look at the works of celebrated filmmaker Federico Fellini with a series of virtual programs that let audiences explore the work through the eyes of author and lecturer Fred Plotkin.
A banner photo advertising the Fellini film festival

Sign up for the CIC mailing list

Fellini 101: Conversations with Fred Plotkin, a digital film festival showcasing three classic films from celebrated filmmaker Federico Fellini, each of them introduced by author and speaker Fred Plotkin, followed by an online a group discussion on three Sundays throughout the month.  

Fellini at Fitchburg State!

Click through the gallery to learn more about the three films.
An image from Fellini's La strada
There has never been a face quite like that of Giulietta Masina. Her husband, the legendary Federico Fellini, directs her as Gelsomina in LA STRADA, the film that launched them both to international stardom.
An image from the film I Vitelloni
I VITELLONI - Five young men linger in a postadolescent limbo, dreaming of adventure and escape from their small seacoast town. They while away their time spending the lira doled out by their indulgent families on drink, women, and nights at the local pool hall.
A screenshot of the Fellini film, Amarcord
AMARCORD - This carnivalesque portrait of provincial Italy during the fascist period, the most personal film from Federico Fellini, satirizes the director's youth and turns daily life into a circus of social rituals, adolescent desires, and more.

About Fellini 101

The first event was preceded by a recorded introduction to this series and the first film, La Strada, by our host and guide, Fred Plotkin. 

A photo of Fred Plotkin

Visits from Plotkin, a celebrated writer on opera, food, and all things Italian, have become a Fitchburg State tradition, including more than 10 years of presentations where he guided visitors on culinary tours of Italy. This virtual event will allow his local fans another opportunity to learn about another treasured cultural export from Italy, that being the cinema of Federico Fellini.

The films in the series will be available to stream for free to Fitchburg State students, faculty and staff members, and will also be made available through the Fitchburg Public Library and Leominster Public Library.

How to access the films

The Fitchburg State Community has access to the films through the library's streaming film database Kanopy. Fitchburg State community members can click on the links below to access the films.

After clicking on the link, you will be prompted to login with your full FSU email address and password (the same as you do to access your FSU Google accounts).

If you are not a Fitchburg State student, faculty or staff member and would like to view the films, please contact the Leominster Public Library and the Fitchburg Public Library for assistance.

Fellini 101: Conversations with Fred Plotkin is presented with the generous support of Fitchburg State University’s Center for Italian Culture and the Sandro and Lillian Clementi Lecture Fund, in collaboration with the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library at Fitchburg State University, the Fitchburg Public Library and the Leominster Public Library.