Garrone’s film, which has already won the Silver Lion for Best Director and the Soundtrack Stars Award for Best Soundtrack in Venice, officially enters the final five to vie for the Oscar for Best International Film.
Io Capitano, Matteo Garrone’s film, tells the story of a young Senegalese man named Seydou who, together with his cousin Moussa, faces a terrible and adventurous journey through the pitfalls of the desert, the horrors of detention centers in Libya, and the dangers of the sea to reach Europe, the destination of their dreams.
During the 80th Venice International Film Festival held in September 2023, the film received two prestigious awards: Matteo Garrone won the Silver Lion for Best Director, while Seydou Sarr, who plays the story’s protagonist also going by the name Seydou, was presented with the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actor.
The Jury of the Soundtrack Stars Award, a Collateral Award for Best Soundtrack, conceived and produced by Free Event, also decreed Io Capitano as the winner among the films running at #Venice80, for the music by composer Andrea Farri.
“A journey,” reads the motivation, “that ignites the film with emotions and feeling by accompanying the ‘color’ of a story that runs through the ethnic sounds of Senegalese percussion as the poignant notes that evoke memories of the distant land. A musical quest that retrieves tradition but also gives the dream and adventure of the two young protagonists the rhythm of rap.”
On the night of the 2024 Academy Awards, which will be held on March 10th in Los Angeles, Io Capitano will compete with the Japanese Perfect Days, the British The Zone of Interest, the Spanish Society of the Snow and the German The teachers’ Lounge.
Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma
