Io capitano

Io capitano
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Matteo Garrone
Written by	Matteo Garrone Massimo Gaudioso Massimo Ceccherini Andrea Tagliaferri
Produced by	Matteo Garrone Paolo Del Brocco
Starring	Seydou Sarr Moustapha Fall
Cinematography	Paolo Carnera[1]
Edited by	Marco Spoletini[1]
Music by	Andrea Farri[1]
Production companies	Archimede Rai Cinema Tarantula Pathé Logical Content Ventures RTBF VOO BE TV Proximus Shelter Prod
Distributed by	01 Distribution (Italy) Pathé Distribution (France) Paradiso Films (Belgium)
Release dates	6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) (Venice) 7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) (Italy) 3 January 2024 (2024-01-03) (France) 10 January 2024 (2024-01-10) (Belgium)
Running time	121 minutes[1]
Countries	Italy Belgium France
Languages	Wolof[1] French[1]
Budget	€11 million
Box office	$7.6 million[2]

Io capitano (lit. 'Me Captain' in Italian)^[3][4][5][6] is a 2023 drama film directed by Matteo Garrone, from a screenplay written by Garrone with Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini and Andrea Tagliaferri.^[7]

The film, an international co-production between Italy, Belgium and France, is based on an original idea by Garrone, inspired by actual stories of migrants' African routes to Europe. Filming took place in Senegal, Morocco and Italy.

Io capitano competed for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion for Matteo Garrone's direction and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Seydou Sarr's performance.^[8] It was released theatrically in Italy by 01 Distribution on 7 September 2023, receiving critical acclaim, and winning seven awards at the 69th David di Donatello, including Best Film.^[9] The film also received nominations for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Plot

Seydou and Moussa, two Senegalese teenage cousins, leave their hometown Dakar to reach Italy and escape poverty, after consulting a Dakar sorcerer and against the express wish of Seydou's mother and the terrifying advice of local men. The boys transit through Mali equipped with false passports fabricated for $100 by an English speaker at a rest stop. The forgery is discovered by a soldier at the border, but they avoid prison in exchange for money as a bribe. Once in Niger, they pay to join a group crossing the Sahara desert by pickup truck and later on foot with a guide northwards into Libya. On the journey, a man falls out of the truck and is abandoned in the desert. On the walk, a woman collapses from exhaustion; despite Seydou's efforts, she is left behind to die. In a short dreamlike sequence, Seydou gently takes her hand while she floats horizontally above the sand so that they can continue their walk through the Sahara. After entering Libya, rebels intercept the group and shake them down for valuables, taking away Moussa after he attempted to hide his money in his anus. Forlorn, Seydou continues with the group. The trip is revealed to be a ruse; they are led directly into a smuggler-run prison and, under threat of torture and slavery, are extorted for relatives' contact information in pursuit of ransom money. Rather than reveal his situation to his family, Seydou allows himself to be subjected to torture. In a dream, the Dakar sorcerer helps Seydou to return home led by a flying demon to view his mother in her bed in Dakar. The next day, the fatherly and fellow French-speaking inmate Martin pulls Seydou along to a slave auction, where the representative of a wealthy estate purchases them as bricklayers.

At the remote estate, Martin and Seydou are put to work building a new fence and a fountain. Despite their servitude, they are treated relatively well and bond on a personal level, with Martin and Seydou sharing stories of their families and hopes for their futures. Having completed their tasks well, the estate's patriarch releases Martin and Seydou and pays for their transport to Tripoli. On arrival, the two sorrowfully separate as Martin chooses to continue his journey towards Naples, while Seydou remains in Tripoli to search the Senegalese enclaves for Moussa, taking up a construction job for a high-rise building in the meantime. After some time, Seydou finally locates Moussa, who managed to escape from jail but was shot in the leg in the process. Moussa's leg is temporarily stabilized, but his urgent need for advanced medical care puts further pressure on them to resume the journey to Europe. Seydou turns to a fixer, Ahmed, who organizes the crossings in the Mediterranean Sea.

Not having enough money, Seydou is offered only one option: he will have to drive the boat himself. Ahmed instructs Seydou on how to steer the vessel and navigate with a compass northwards from Tripoli to Sicily. Despite a grueling journey with fights among the passengers and the birth of a baby onboard, Seydou manages to pilot the boat and all of the passengers safely in sight of the shores of Sicily; mere miles offshore from Sicily, the boat is intercepted by an Italian coast guard helicopter. Despite the jubilation of Seydou - he keeps shouting "Io capitano!" (Italian for I (am) the captain) to the helicopter above - and the boat's passengers, they now face an uncertain future at the hands of the Italian government, which is not shown.

Cast

• Seydou Sarr as Seydou
• Moustapha Fall as Moussa
• Issaka Sawagodo as Martin
• Hichem Yacoubi as Ahmed
• Doodou Sagna as Charlatan
• Khady Sy as Seydou's Mother
• Bamar Kane as Bouba
• Cheick Oumar Diaw as Sisko

Production

Io capitano is based on an original idea by director Matteo Garrone, who wrote the screenplay with Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini and Andrea Tagliaferri.^[10] The script is based on the stories of emigration from Africa to Europe by Kouassi Pli Adama Mamadou, Arnaud Zohin, Amara Fofana, Brhane Tareke, and Siaka Doumbia.^[11]

The film was produced by Archimede, Rai Cinema, Tarantula, Pathé and Logical Content Ventures, in coproduction with RTBF, VOO-BE TV, Proximus and Shelter Prod, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Film and Audiovisual Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, taxshelter.be, ING, and the tax shelter of the Belgian federal government, and the participation of Canal+, Ciné+ and Wallimage (Wallonia).^[12][13] The project had a budget of approximately €11.2 million.^[14]

The castings, under the direction of Henri-Didier Njikam, took place on the African continent, and features Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall, originally from Dakar, at ages 17 and 18, respectively.^[15] Principal photography began in Dakar, Senegal. The production, which lasted for 13 weeks, also took place in Morocco and Italy.^[7][16] The film was shot in sequence, beginning with two and a half weeks in Senegal and four weeks in the desert.^[17] The desert locations included the souk of Errachidia, the dunes of Merzouga and the pre-desert zones outside of Ouarzazate.^[18] Filming continued in Casablanca, which served as a stand-in for Tripoli and where the detention centres scenes were shot. Filming then moved to the sea with a fishing boat for three weeks. The final parts of the film were shot off the coast of Marsala, Sicily.^[17]

Release

Io capitano was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,^[19] where it had its world premiere on 6 September 2023,^[1] and received a 13-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.^[20] World sales are handled by Pathé International. The film was theatrically released in Italy on 7 September 2023 by 01 Distribution.^[10] Pathé distributed the film in France on 3 January 2024.^[21] Paradiso Films handled the theatrical release in Belgium on 10 January 2024.^[22] It was also released by Cohen Media Group in the United States on 23 February 2024.^[23]

A special screening of the film took place at the Vatican on 14 September 2023. Garrone and the cast of the film were in attendance, where they were granted an audience with Pope Francis at his Domus Sanctae Marthae residence.^[24][25]

Reception

The direction of Matteo Garrone was critically acclaimed during the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 108 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "A journey toward hope, Io Capitano perambulates through the ravishing Saharan landscape encountering the most sublime and debased corners of humanity".^[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable".^[27]

Guy Lodge of Variety reflected on the theme of the film by reporting that, compared to other European film projects dealing with African emigration to Europe, it is seen "not as its setting but as a near-mythic objective". Lodge states that the director produced his "most robust, purely satisfying" work in Io capitano, and that although the film in some scenes presents "Western aesthetic and narrative instincts," it is "hard not to be caught up in the film's grand, honestly felt emotional sweep" supported by the skill of actor Seydou Sarr.^[28] Leslie Felperin, reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter, wrote that despite the presence of "dazzling" landscapes, the film "always keeps the focus on the humans," sensing a "porousness here between the everyday world and the spiritual dimension, a haziness that's often a feature in West African cinema," due to the fact that "Garrone keeps us guessing right up until the very last moment of the film".^[29] Deadline Hollywood journalist Damon Wise has described the cinematic technique adopted for the film as "flawless," writing that cinematographer Paolo Carnera was able to convey a "stunning, immersive immediacy". Wise also says that the film's "biggest achievement" was the cast of actors who are able to make the project "authentic at every step of its audacious journey".^[30]

For Italian film critic Mattia Pasquini of Ciak gave the film four stars out of five, writing that the most important factor is the "intellectual and design honesty" in which the director makes "the choice to limit his authorship." The journalist reported that although the film sidesteped some "dramatic possibilities" and presents a "mechanical" narrative in some scenes, the end result is constituted of "legitimate and uncritical choices that make the film ideologically unassailable."^[31] Davide Turrini of Il Fatto Quotidiano stated that in the film "the immediate structural reference is to the Odyssey" in which "the fragile and soft innocence of the two protagonists" are "prevented from being a community of solidarity."^[32] Paolo Mereghetti, reviewing the film for Corriere della Sera, wrote that the film is able to "always remain at protagonist height, identifying with their gaze, avoiding any preachy attitude" transfiguring "tragedy through the power of fantasy and fable."^[33]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	10 March 2024	Best International Feature Film	Io capitano	Nominated	[34]
David di Donatello	3 May 2024	Best Film		Won	[9]
		Best Producer	Archimede, Rai Cinema, Pathé, Tarantula	Won
		Best Director	Matteo Garrone	Won
		Best Original Screenplay	Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Paolo Carnera	Won
		Best Score	Andrea Farri	Nominated
		Best Original Song	"Baby" – Music by Andrea Farri; Lyrics and Performed by Seydou Sarr	Nominated
		Best Sets and Decorations	Dimitri Capuani, Roberta Troncarelli	Nominated
		Best Editing	Marco Spoletini	Won
		Best Sound	Maricetta Lombardo, Daniela Bassani, Mirko Perri, Gianni Pallotto	Won
		Best Costumes	Stefano Ciammitti	Nominated
		Best Visual Effects	Laurent Creusot, Massimo Cipollina	Won
		Best Make-up	Dalia Colli, Roberta Martorina	Nominated
		Best Hairstyling	Stefano Ciammitti, Dalia Colli	Nominated
		David Youth Award	Io capitano	Nominated
European Film Awards	9 December 2023	Best Film		Nominated	[35]
		Best Director	Matteo Garrone	Nominated
Ghent International Film Festival	21 October 2023	Best Film	Io capitano	Nominated	[36]
Golden Globe Awards	7 January 2024	Best Foreign Language Film		Nominated	[37]
Nastro d'Argento	27 June 2024	Best Film		Won	[38]
		Best Director	Matteo Garrone	Won
		Best Screenplay	Matteo Garrone, Massimo Ceccherini, Massimo Gaudioso, Andrea Tagliaferri	Nominated	[39]
		Best Cinematography	Paolo Carnera	Won	[38]
		Best Production Design	Dimitri Capuani	Nominated	[39]
		Best Editing	Marco Spoletini	Won	[38]
		Best Sound	Maricetta Lombardo	Won
		Best Casting Director	Francesco Vedovati	Won
		Best Score	Andrea Farri	Nominated	[39]
Palm Springs International Film Festival	15 January 2024	Best Foreign Language Film	Io capitano	Nominated	[40]
San Sebastián International Film Festival	30 September 2023	City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award for Best European Film		Won	[41]
Satellite Awards	18 February 2024	Best Foreign Language Film		Nominated	[42]
Venice Film Festival	9 September 2023	Golden Lion		Nominated	[43] [44]
		CICT - UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award		Won
		Civitas Award		Won
		Edipo Re Award		Won
		FEDIC Award		Won
		Francesco Pasinetti Award		Won
		ImpACT Award		Won
		Lanterna Magica Award		Won
		Leoncino d'Oro Award		Won
		Silver Lion for Best Director	Matteo Garrone	Won
		Marcello Mastroianni Award	Seydou Sarr	Won
		La Pellicola d'Oro Award - Best Production Director	Claudia Cravotta	Won
		Premio Soundtrack Stars Award - Best Soundtrack	Andrea Farri	Won

See also

• List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

References

1. "Io Capitano". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
2. "Io Capitano (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
3. Shoichet, Catherine E. (7 March 2024). "The actors in this Oscar-nominated film weren't told how it was going to end". CNN. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
4. Vivarelli, Nick (12 February 2024). "Matteo Garrone's Oscar-Nominated 'Io Capitano' Gets Pan-African Theatrical Release Ahead of Tour With Director (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
5. Chang, Justin (22 February 2024). "Join a Senegalese teen on a harrowing journey in this Oscar-nominated film". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
6. Goodfellow, Melanie (20 September 2023). "Oscars: Italy Submits 'Io Capitano' For Best International Film". Deadline. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
7. Grater, Tom (21 March 2022). "UK Comedy 'Seize Them!' Unveils Cast; Matteo Garrone's 'Io Capitano' Underway; Rasika Dugal Wraps UK Shoot – Global Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
8. "Venezia 80, i premi: Premio della regia a Garrone per Io Capitano". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 9 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
9. Roxborough, Scott (3 May 2024). "Matteo Garrone's 'Io Capitano' Wins Italian Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
10. Vivarelli, Nick (26 July 2023). "Matteo Garrone's Venice-Bound 'Io Capitano' Depicts Odyssey of African Migrants to Europe 'From Their Point of View,' Director Says (EXCLUSIVE CLIP)". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
11. "'Io capitano', al via le riprese del nuovo film di Matteo Garrone". Sky TG24 (in Italian). 21 March 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
12. Io capitano film poster
13. Sardelli, Monica (8 September 2023). "A 'Io Capitano' di Matteo Garrone il Leoncino d'Oro di Venezia 80". Direzione generale Cinema e audiovisivo (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
14. Alò, Francesco (30 August 2023). "Festival Venezia, i film italiani in gara: dai titoli ai budget e i registi". Il Messaggero (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
15. Locatelli, Silvia (6 September 2023). "Seydou Sarr e Moustapha Fall, due belle scoperte protagonisti di Io, capitano di Garrone". Elle (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
16. D'Amore, Eleonora (12 February 2022). "Matteo Garrone sul set per il nuovo film "Io, Capitano", girerà per la prima volta fuori dall'Italia". Fanpage.it (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
17. "ARRI tools behind the migrants' journey of "Io Capitano"". www.arri.com. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
18. "'Io Capitano', standing ovation al Festival Internazionale del Film di Marrakech". Cinecittà News (in Italian). 29 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
19. Tartaglione, Nancy (25 July 2023). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
20. Attanasio, Luca (11 September 2023). "Matteo Garrone: "Non si può più accettare che si rischi la vita per emigrare"". Domani (in Italian). Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
21. "Le film "Io Capitano" de Matteo Garrone, évoquant le drame des migrants africains, choisi pour représenter l'Italie aux Oscars". Franceinfo (in French). 21 September 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
22. "IO CAPITANO – paradisofilms". paradisofilms.be. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
23. Ntim, Zac; Wiseman, Andreas (2 January 2024). "Cohen Media Group Sets Release Date For Italy's Oscar Submission 'Io Capitano'". Deadline. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
24. Ntim, Zac; Wiseman, Andreas (15 September 2023). "Watch Video Of Pope Francis Moved By Special Screening Of Immigrant Story & Venice Winner 'Io Capitano'". Deadline. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
25. Glatz, Carol (15 September 2023). "Pope meets award-winning actor, director of film on migrants". Catholic Review. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
26. "Io Capitano". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
27. "Io Capitano". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
28. Lodge, Guy (6 September 2023). "'Me Captain' Review: Matteo Garrone's Migrant Epic Feels Like a Complete Odyssey Even Before Reaching the Shore". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
29. Felperin, Leslie (7 September 2023). "'Io Capitano' Review: Tragedy and Grace Are Marbled Together in Matteo Garrone's Moving Migration Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
30. Wise, Damon (6 September 2023). "'Io Capitano' Review: A Gritty, Heartbreaking Study Of Migrant Dreams From Italy's Matteo Garrone – Venice Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
31. Pasquini, Mattia (6 September 2023). "Io Capitano, la recensione del viaggio della speranza di Matteo Garrone". Ciak (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
32. Turrini, Davide (6 September 2023). "Festival di Venezia, Matteo Garrone vuol vincere il Leone d'Oro. Io Capitano è un film potentissimo". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
33. Mereghetti, Paolo (9 July 2023). "Le pagelle del Mereghetti: Io capitano, l'odissea africana di Garrone trasfigura la tragedia in favola (voto 7 e 1/2)". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
34. Gonzalez, Shivani (23 January 2024). "Oscar Nominees 2024: See the Full List". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
35. Roxborough, Scott (7 November 2023). "Oscar Contenders 'Zone of Interest,' 'Io Capitano,' 'Fallen Leaves' Among 2023 European Film Award Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
36. Aerts, Ruben (21 September 2023). "Film Fest Gent verwelkomt 25 unieke kortfilms, Fien Troch en 'Poor things'". De Standaard (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
37. Hipes, Patrick; Andreeva, Nellie (11 December 2023). "Golden Globe Nominations: 'Barbie', 'Oppenheimer' Top Movie List; 'Succession' Leads Way In TV". Deadline. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
38. De Marco, Camillo (1 July 2024). "Io Capitano is named Best Film at the Nastri d'Argento Awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
39. "Nastri d'Argento 2024, le candidature". RB Casting (in Italian). 7 June 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
40. Verhoeven, Beatrice (16 November 2023). "Emma Stone to Receive Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award at Palm Springs International Film Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
41. "La película de Bayona 'La sociedad de la nieve' gana el Premio del Público del Zinemaldia". Noticias de Navarra. 30 September 2023.
42. Anderson, Erik (18 December 2023). "International Press Academy Satellite Awards Nominations: 'Oppenheimer', 'Succession' Lead". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
43. Gularte, Alejandra (9 September 2023). "Poor Thing, Yorgos Lanthimos Wins Golden Lion at the Venice". Vulture. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
44. "Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.

External links

• Io capitano at IMDb