From 15-27 April, the Cinemovel travelling cinema caravan will be taking Matteo Garrone’s film IO CAPITANO (photo) to the cities, suburbs, villages and schools of Senegal. A journey through stories of migration and hope, screened in places where the stories themselves are born. Along with Cinemovel will travel director Matteo Garrone, some of the actors and a cultural mediator.
IO CAPITANO, a Homeric fairy tale about the adventurous journey of two young boys who leave Dakar to reach Europe, tells stories of departures and dreams. Now Cinemovel, the renowned travelling cinema, is set to hit the roads of Senegal to bring the spirit of cinema to even the country’s most remote communities. Before heading to the outskirts and regions, a preview was held ion 14 April n the beating heart of Dakar: the Medina district, where the filming began. The screening was open to all residents of Medina. From there the film will travel the country and finally have its last screening in Ziguinchor, birthplace of director Ousmane Sembene.
At the heart of this extraordinary initiative is the desire to use film as a medium for encounter, discussion and cultural exchange. Through screenings in cities, suburbs, villages and schools, Cinemovel aims to inspire audiences to reflect on the world around them, with the help of cultural mediator Mamadou Kouassi, whose story inspired the film. Cinemovel’s journey is inspired by the words of Ettore Scola, Honorary President of the Cinemovel Foundation, who emphasises the power of small gestures to transform people’s lives. “Arriving in a remote village, setting up a screen, rolling out cables, starting up a projector – these are all astonishing gestures for the audience, an event that didn’t exist a few minutes before and which could perhaps also change their lives, even in a small way“. The project is supported through a fundraising campaign, with the help of numerous partners, both Senegalese and European, and both cultural and humanitarian foundations.
Find more complete information (in Italian) here.