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Real-life ‘Io Capitano’ Skipper Fofana Amara Talks Oscar Hopes & Pleasure That His Story Is Being Told

Eventually released from jail after the people he saved testified in his favor, Amara completed a nautical course in the Sicilian port city of Catania and worked for a time as an assistant on a sailing program for the disabled and elderly. Amara’s story was one part of the inspiration for Garrone’s feature about two teenage friends who risk their lives – enduring a deadly Sahara crossing, private militia-run prisons, torture and brutal modern slavery along the way – to get to Europe from their home country of Senegal. “Hopefully the film will bring about greater understanding and also encourage lawyers and judge to be more open minded,” says Amara, pointing to the fact that migration between Europe and Africa is a necessity for both regions and would be beneficial if managed better.

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