Matteo Garrone's Io Capitano was
named Tuesday among the five contenders for the best
foreign-language film Oscar on March 10.
The Italian director's tale of two Senegalese migrants who
travel
from Dakar to Europe won Garrone the best-director award at
last year's Venice Film Festival, but missed out to Justine
Triet's Anatomy Of A Fall at the recent Golden Globes.
Reacting to the news, Garrone said he was happy that the Oscar
"adventure" was continuing.
"It's a great satisfaction and we're happy that the adventure is
continuing, in the hope that the film, and the story of Seydou,
is seen by an ever greater number of spectators in the whole
world," said the 55-year-old Rome-born director.
The other nominees are Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, Japan),
Society of the Snow (J.A. Bayona, Spain), The Teacher's Lounge
(İlker Çatak, Germany), and The Zone of Interest (Jonathan
Glazer, United Kingdom).
The latter, loosely adapted from late cult British novelist
Martin Amis's 2014 novel of the same name about a Nazi
concentration camp chief and his family, is favourite as it has
also been nominated in the main best picture category and for
best adapted screenplay.
But the latest by cult German director Wenders will give it a
good run for its money, bookies say.
However, Garrone, who is best known for Cannes second prize
winner Gomorrah (2008), from the Roberto Saviano Mob exposé,
Cannes third prize winner Reality (2012), Tale of Tales (2015),
Dogman (2018) and Pinocchio (2019), all Italian award winners,
is also in with a chance, according to the international
bookmakers.
Io Capitano, for which Senagalese newcomer Seydou Sarr has won
acclaim as one of the protagonists, has been lauded for showing
the reality of the horrors faced by African migrants on their
arduous and often perilous journeys to Europe.
The title, which translates as I, Captain, comes from Sarr's
character's being forced to steer the migrant boat from Libya to
Sicily after suffering terrible ordeals including torture at the
hands of trafficking gangs.
The cinema production branch of state broadcaster Rai, which is
behind the film, said the nomination was "a huge result for
Matteo Garrone and for Rai.".
Cinema group ANICA chief Francesco Rutrelli said "Garrone's film
speaks to the world".
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano sad Garrone's nomination
was a "source of pride for Italy".
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