[7] The film, an international co-production between Italy, Belgium and France, is based on an original idea by Garrone, inspired by actual stories of migrants' African routes to Europe.

[8] It was released theatrically in Italy by 01 Distribution on 7 September 2023, receiving critical acclaim, and winning seven awards at the 69th David di Donatello, including Best Film.

The trip is revealed to be a ruse; they are led directly into a smuggler-run prison and, under threat of torture and slavery, are extorted for relatives' contact information in pursuit of ransom money.

The next day, the fatherly and fellow French-speaking inmate Martin pulls Seydou along to a slave auction, where the representative of a wealthy estate purchases them as bricklayers.

Despite their servitude, they are treated relatively well and bond on a personal level, with Martin and Seydou sharing stories of their families and hopes for their futures.

On arrival, the two sorrowfully separate as Martin chooses to continue his journey towards Naples, while Seydou remains in Tripoli to search the Senegalese enclaves for Moussa, taking up a construction job for a high-rise building in the meantime.

[10] The script is based on the stories of emigration from Africa to Europe by Kouassi Pli Adama Mamadou, Arnaud Zohin, Amara Fofana, Brhane Tareke, and Siaka Doumbia.

[11] The film was produced by Archimede, Rai Cinema, Tarantula, Pathé and Logical Content Ventures, in coproduction with RTBF, VOO-BE TV, Proximus and Shelter Prod, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Film and Audiovisual Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, taxshelter.be, ING, and the tax shelter of the Belgian federal government, and the participation of Canal+, Ciné+ and Wallimage (Wallonia).

[14] The castings, under the direction of Henri-Didier Njikam, took place on the African continent, and features Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall, originally from Dakar, at ages 17 and 18, respectively.

[17] Io capitano was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[19] where it had its world premiere on 6 September 2023,[1] and received a 13-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.

The website's consensus reads: "A journey toward hope, Io Capitano perambulates through the ravishing Saharan landscape encountering the most sublime and debased corners of humanity".

[30] Deadline Hollywood journalist Damon Wise has described the cinematic technique adopted for the film as "flawless," writing that cinematographer Paolo Carnera was able to convey a "stunning, immersive immediacy".

"[32] Davide Turrini of Il Fatto Quotidiano stated that in the film "the immediate structural reference is to the Odyssey" in which "the fragile and soft innocence of the two protagonists" are "prevented from being a community of solidarity.