Restless City

The lives of African immigrants making their way on the rough and tumble streets of New York City inspired this independent drama. Djibril (Sy Alassane) is a 21-year-old man who has recently left Senegal for a new life in Manhattan. While Djibril once pursued a career as a musician, in New York he's too busy scouring the city for a job and keeping himself afloat to devote much time to his art. As sidetracked as Djibril may be, he can't help but notice Trini (Sky Grey), a beautiful fellow immigrant who lives in his neighborhood, and the two find themselves falling in love. However, Trini makes her living as a streetwalker, and she is currently under the thumb of Bekay (Anthony Okungbowa), a mean-spirited pimp and loan shark; Djibril wants to take Trini away from Bekay so they can find happiness together, but this is a dangerous and difficult task. Restless City was the first feature film from writer and director Andrew Dosunmu; the film was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.