Arlit sprang up through uranium mines and immigration, and in the 70s was the equivalent of 19th century New York for that part of Africa. It was a kind of land of adventure where everything seemed possible, where everyone could better their situation. The Touareg rebellion and the collapse of the price of uranium changed everything.
While filming his most recent work, the Director met up with the ageing Issa, who put him up in Arlit in Niger when he was about to leave for Europe. That was 17 years ago. He has decided to follow the old man on his last trip back to Arlit to see his son and old friends, allowing the director to introduce us to this desert frontier town.
Back in the 70s, Arlit was the Eldorado and fulcrum of the region due to COGEMA's uranium mining operation. Arlit has become a ghost town since the Touareg rebellion and the French company's withdrawal, and has now been transformed into a stop-off point for illegal immigrants heading for Algeria. This film also focuses on the surprising ethnic mix found there as a result of the continous migrations, and which has made it such a unique and fantastic place.

A film by Idrissou MORA KPAI

Benin / Niger, 2004, Documentary, 77min16s

Réalisateur /Director: Idrissou MORA KPAI
Scénariste / Scriptwriter: Idrissou MORA KPAI
Script-co-author/Collaboration à l'écriture : Isabelle BONI-CLAVERIE
Photography/Image : Jacques BESSE
Sound/Son : Lardia TCHIOMBIANO
Music/Musique : Groupe FERDEWASS d'Arlit & Amadou SARIKI NOMMA
Editing/Montage : Vera MEMMI
Production manager/Directrice de production : Eliane LACROUX
Producers/Producteurs : Jeanette JOUILI & Idrissou MORA KPAI
Co-producer/Coproducteur : Arouna Sacca MORA KPAI (Noble Films, Bénin)

A MKJ FILMS (France) and NOBLE FILMS (Bénin) coproduction

with the support of centre national de la cinématographie (cnc) - evangelischer entwicklungsdienst (eed) - hubert bals fund of the international film festival rotterdam - fonds francophone de production audiovisuelle du sud (agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie & cirtef) - commission européenne (fonds européen de développement) - fonds sud cinema (ministère de la culture et de la communication - cnc - ministère des affaires etrangères) - fonds images d'afrique du ministère des affaires etrangères

FESTIVALS:
- Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin 2005, section Forum (Allemagne)
- Festival International de Films de Fribourg, Suisse 2005
- Fespaco (Burkina-Faso 2005)
- 15° Festival Cinéma Africano d'Asia e America Latina 2005 (Milan-Italie 2005)
- Freiburger Film Forum (Allemagne 2005)
- Durban International Film festival (Afrique du Sud 2005)
- International Film Festival Munich (Allemagne 2005)
- International Film Festival Innsbruck (Autriche 2005)
- Festival international de Film francophone de Namur (Belgique 2005)
- Festival Résistances de Foix (France 2005)
- Festival du film d'Afrique et des îles (Réunion 2005)
- Festival de Documentaire de Sheffield (Angleterre 2005)
- Festival Black Movie, Genève, Suisse 2005
- Documentaire sur Grand Ecran (Paris-France 2006)
- Les Rencontres Cinéma de Gindou (France 2006)
- XVIII. Fernsehworkshop Entwicklunspolitik (Allemagne 2006)
- Festival International de film d'Amiens (France 2006)
- Amakula Kampala International Film Festival (Uganda 2006)
- Festival International de film de Ouidah (Bénin 2006)
- Festival International des Scénaristes (Bourges- France 2006)
- Festival de film Africain de TARIFA (Espagne 2006)
- Cineambiente (Turin, Italie 2006)
- Etnia Film festival (Turku- Finlande 2006)
- Festival Afrique Taille XL (Bruxelles-Belgique 2006)
- Festival de film français de Tübingen-Stuttgart (Allemagne 2006)
- Festival Africa Alive (Frankfurt- Allemagne 2006)
- Cinema Africa Film Festival (Stockolm- Suède 2006)
- Cinema Afrika (Zürich-Suisse 2006)
- Festival Isola Cinéma (Slovénie 2006)
- Environmental Film Festival of Accra (Ghana 2007)
- Festival Vues d'Afrique (Montréal-Canada 2007)
- Globale Filmfestival (Berlin- Allemagne 2007)
- 48e festival des ciné-rencontres de Prades (France 2007)
- CINEMAF (Anvers-Belgique 2007) ; 13ème Festival du cinéma du Monde de Rouen (2008)

AWARDS:
- 2008 Arlit - Best Documentary in the 14th festival "Regard sur le cinema du monde", Rouen (France)
- 2006 Arlit - Best Documentary in the 3th Muestra de Cine Africano de Tarifa (Spain)
- 2006 Arlit - Best Documentary in the 4th International Film Festival of Ouidah (Benin)
- 2006 Arlit - One-World Film Preis, North-Rhine Westfalia (Germany)
- 2005 Arlit - Award "Amiens Metropole" in the 25th Amiens International Film Festival (France)
- 2005 Arlit - Best Documentary, TV5 Award in the 20th Namurs International French Speaking Film Festival (Belgium)
- 2005 Arlit - Best Documentary of the 15th African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival, Milan (Italie)
- 2005 Arlit - Price of the French Institut in the 14th Innsbruck International Film festival (Austria)