VENICE – The blistering tale of an African’s journey to Europe and a moving film about refugees at Poland’s border, which has angered its government, have tightened the race at the Venice Film Festival.
“Io Capitano”, which premiered on Wednesday, is the latest from Italian director Matteo Garrone, known for his gritty mafia drama “Gomorrah”.
The epic drama follows two naive 16-year-olds who leave Senegal for Europe, only to find themselves robbed, tortured and enslaved along the route, and ultimately aboard a dangerously rickety boat to Italy.
Garrone told reporters he wanted to break through Europeans’ complacency about the migrants arriving by sea.
“For years we’ve seen boats arriving across the Mediterranean — sometimes they are saved, sometimes not,” he said.
“Over time, we’ve gotten used to thinking of these people as numbers and lost sight of the fact that…
