Italian Film ‘Io Captino’ Nominated for the 2024 Oscars

Matteo Garrone’s newest film, Io Capitano, secured a spot in the 96th iteration of the Academy Awards. Starring actors Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall as the main characters, the Italian feature was nominated for Best International Feature Film.

Garrone’s movie presents a story about two Senegalese brothers that embark on a journey from Dakar to Europe in search for a better life. Trekking the Sub-Saharan dessert, crossing through Libya, and sailing the Mediterranean Sea, the main characters’ storyline reflects the reality and challenges of refugees heading to Europe. Originating from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, millions of migrants flee their homes for humanitarian reasons, and yet Garrone hopes to alter the public’s perspective about such migrants via his movie.

“We’re used to considering migrants as numbers and have lost sight of the fact that we’re dealing with people, people who have hopes and dreams,” Garrone said at the film’s premiere in the 80th Venice Film Festival.

Before its Oscar nomination, Variety magazine described Io Capitano as “Italy’s strongest Oscar contender in recent memory”. Including Capitano, only four Italian movies have been chosen as the Best International Feature Film in the past 20 years. And thus, Garrone’s 2023 feature looks to leave its mark at the upcoming Oscars, representing Italy.

Source: Italy’s “Io Capitano” Secures Oscar Nomination for Best International Feature Film | ITALY Magazine

-Diego Maldonado