Shown: October 4, 2026 at 6pm
Director : Federico Fellini
Country : Italy
Release Date : 1969
Duration : 129 mins
Language : Italian and Latin
Subtitles : Yes
WINNER : PASINETTI AWARD FOR BEST ITALIAN FILM AT 1969 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
SHORT-LISTED : BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM AT 1969 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
SHORT-LISTED : FELLINI (BEST DIRECTOR) AT 1970 OSCARS
Episodic and strange, Satyricon offers a hedonistic tour through an ancient Rome that exists not in history books, but from Federico Fellini’s singular imagination. Loosely based on Petronius’ fragmentary work Satyricon which was written during the reign of Emperor Nero and set in Imperial Rome, the film is divided into nine episodes, following Encolpius (Martin Potter) and his friend Ascyltus (Hiram Keller) as they try to win the heart of a young boy named Gitón within a surreal and dreamlike Roman landscape. Also featuring fashion models Donyale Luna (the “first black supermodel”) and Capucine who worked for Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy and Pierre Balmain.
It received international acclaim from critics, with particular praise for Fellini’s direction and Danilo Donati’s vivid and striking production design.
“Stunning camerawork in deliberately garish colour from Giuseppe Rotunna, incomparable art direction, and some riveting music from Nini Rota aid Fellini in his principal task, which is simply to astonish and to widen the imagination.” (Derek Malcolm – The Guardian)