feature · drama · festival-era
Alain Gomis's debut feature follows a Senegalese student in France whose plans to return home after his studies collapse when a residency permit problem forces him into a detention center, weighing whether to stay undocumented, marry for papers, or go home.
Fun fact: It won the Grand Ecumenical Prize at Locarno in 2001, before screening at Sundance the following year.
Notes: Gomis was born in France to Senegalese-Guinea-Bissauan heritage; this was his first feature film. Corrected 2026-07-29: removed the specific "Leopard for First Film" award-category claim pending independent confirmation against Locarno's official award category names; kept the Grand Ecumenical Prize, which was more consistently corroborated.
Verification: probable · Sources:
[1] [2] [3]
Poster source: African Film Festival, Inc.