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A teenage boy and his cousin leave Senegal for Europe, facing dangers of the desert and sea.
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In the 2024 Academy Award nominated Best International Film, IO CAPITANO, writer-director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) presents a “reverse shot” of the immigration experience while unfurling an epic odyssey from West Africa to Italy. The story is told through the mind’s eye and experiences of Seydou and Moussa, two Senegalese teenage cousins living in Dakar who yearn for a brighter future in Europe.
"Io Captain is an Italian film nominated for the Best International Film Oscar, but it unfolds far from the streets of Rome: it's actually a portrait of the situation of two Senegalese boys seeking a new life in Europe—specifically, in Italy. From there, director Matteo Garrone (Dogman) turns this journey almost into a fable, adding his already traditional and unexpected doses of fantasy as the boys venture through hell to try to cross Africa and, perhaps, start a new life in Europe. It's a beautiful and simple film that, despite the somewhat uncomprehending issue of being a story about African refugees told by a white European, manages to evoke genuine feelings."