Acclaimed ‘Io Capitano’ will show in Macon. Film guild brings other films to town too
Sunday offers a chance to see one of the acclaimed films the Macon Film Guild regularly brings to town that you won’t likely have a chance to see on the big screen.
In this case, it’s “Io Capitano,” or “Me Captain,” the story of two Senegalese teenage cousins on an immigrant journey to Italy where they hope to find a better life and become pop stars. Seemingly, the story is not unlike the many rags-to-riches U.S. films of the Midwestern kid headed to Hollywood for fame and fortune.
But it’s hardly that.
“Io Capitano” is a mix of social drama examining the plight of poor, non-refugee immigrants and their up-and-down-mostly-down adventures. The journey told is based on the composite stories of many immigrants, some of whom worked on the film. It’s presented in a magical realism film style.
Just so you know, magical realism isn’t fantasy or fantastical but does introduce magical elements into the story in a very natural, matter-of-fact way. The only real way to understand it is to knowingly see a few such films yourself, and “Io Capitano” is a good start. A couple of fairly familiar examples might include “The Green Mile,” “Big Fish,” “Amélie” and “Black Swan.”
The 2023 release garnered a Best International Feature Film Oscar nomination, Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and European Film Award nomination for Best Director and Best Film.
It has won such awards as the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Seydou Sarr’s starring performance – it is basically an Italian-made and directed film – and the Venice International Film Festival’s Silver Lion for Matteo Garrone’s direction.
And then there’s the simple fact the Macon Film Guild is choosing to show it Sunday, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at The Douglass Theatre downtown at 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Really, the Film Guild is the rest of the story. Since 2001, it has been a nonprofit arts organization getting too little attention for bringing national and international art-house style films and documentaries to Macon monthly.
Think films of substance. Think cinema versus blockbuster.
“Our board chooses the films, usually from a list created by Wendy Johnston,” said Robert Fieldsteel, Film Guild president, actor and playwriting artist in residence at Wesleyan College. “We judge films by what we’ve heard and seen and we take into account review sites like Meta Critic, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. We’ve partnered with The Douglass since our beginning and Shelton Land there does the actual booking.”
Feature presentations are on the second Sunday of each month, always at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. with a discussion following the 2 p.m. show. The cost is a mere $5 for non-guild members, with a discount for members.
There usually are casual discussions in the lobby after films and a chance to rate them, Fieldsteel said. He said groups of viewers often gather for brunch before the first show or a meal after.
Foreign language films are subtitled and even English films shown at 2 p.m. are typically subtitled to aid the hearing impaired.
Next month’s feature film is “La Chimera” on June 9.
For membership information, to keep up with coming attractions or to subscribe to the Film Guild newsletter, go to www.maconfilmguild.org. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/maconfilmguild.
Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.
