Scorsese recalls last call with Fellini in Rome-premiering documentary

Martin Scorsese can still hear how weak Federico Fellini sounded on their last phone call.

That memory sits at the heart of The Last Fellini, a new documentary about the final decade of Fellini's life that premieres on Saturday at the Rome Film Festival, according to Variety.

The film is directed by Gianluigi Attorre and produced by Italy's Atomic and RAI Cinema. International sales, the business of selling distribution rights to buyers outside the home country, have been picked up by PiperPlay.

Scorsese says the call came the day after Fellini received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in Los Angeles. Fellini's voice was very faint. It was the last time they spoke.

The two directors had been planning to work together. The idea was a documentary series about different aspects of film production, starting with a one-hour segment about the actor. Scorsese had lined up $1 million to finance it while he had a deal with Universal, the trade report says.

Then Fellini fell ill. He died in October 1993, and the series was never made.

The Last Fellini widens the story beyond Scorsese. It features interviews with actor Roberto Benigni, composer Nicola Piovani, journalist Vincenzo Mollica, comics artist Milo Manara and Fellini's niece Fiammetta Profili.

For Scorsese, the connection runs deep. He has cited Fellini's 8½ as one of his all-time favourite films, and his film foundation was involved in restoring Fellini's La Dolce Vita. He has a history with Rome too, having presented that restored version at the festival in an earlier edition, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

What makes this stand out is the smallness of the detail. Not a career overview. A phone call, a voice, and a plan cut short.