I don't believe in total freedom for the artist. Left on his own, free to do anything he likes, the artist ends up doing nothing at all. If there's one thing that's dangerous for an artist, it's precisely this question of total freedom, waiting for inspiration and all the rest of it.
Federico FelliniFor people who live in the imagination, there is no lack of subjects. To seek for the exact moment at which inspiration comes is false. Imagination floods us with suggestions all the time, from all directions.
Federico FelliniWhat is an artist? A provincial who finds himself somewhere between a physical reality and a metaphysical one... Itโs this in-between that Iโm calling a province, this frontier country between the tangible world and the intangible one - which is really the realm of the artist.
Federico FelliniI donโt like the idea of โunderstandingโ a film. I donโt believe that rational understanding is an essential element in the reception of any work of art. Either a film has something to say to you or it hasnโt. If you are moved by it, you donโt need it explained to you. If not, no explanation can make you moved by it.
Federico Fellini