A Film by Christopher Walker
Produced by Faction Films

Alpha, a cabby in New York, comes from Batama, a village in the poorest region of Mali. Since the drought of 1973, the men of Batama have gone abroad to earn enough to keep the women and children alive.
In New York and Tokyo, they earn double of what they would in other cities. But not everyone can go to Japan. "In the past," says Alpha, "we went abroad to keep the village alive. But today we are finding that abroad is 'closed'. And if 'abroad' is closed, then we are all closed."

"Enlightening! The contrast between the miserable, menial jobs they take in affluent cities and the rich welcome they receive returning to their poor village has a powerful resonance."-Time Out


FESTIVALS

✮Certificate of Merit, 1995 Chicago Film Festival

✮2001 African Literature Association Conference Film Festival