Dodo, a reflective young Haitian, grapples with daily life in a country still shaken by its past. Should he stay in the Haiti he loves, or follow his friends abroad in search of a better life?

Saint-Marc is a small city tucked into the western coastline of Haiti. It’s bright, hot; the sun reaches everywhere. Everyone seems to spend their days outside, selling jeans and kites on the street, calling out to passing friends, working through daily challenges. It's a peaceful city—everyone knows each other.

But things aren’t easy. Roads are unfinished; trash burns in vacant lots. On a good day, the city operates on four hours of electricity.

Dodo, an entrepreneurial young translator, considers his next move. The lack of infrastructure makes working or building a business here difficult, and many of Dodo’s friends are leaving Haiti for better work opportunities and a more comfortable life elsewhere.

But Dodo feels a deep connection to his homeland, to the beauty and history and idiosyncrasy animating every place he's been.

As he discovers hidden places in Saint-Marc and throughout the countryside, Dodo reflects on the past and imagines what the future could look like for himself and for the city he loves.

Clay Thomas

Director, Producer

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Annie Huntington 

Director, DP, Editor

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Clay Thomas was born in New Jersey, and has lived in a bunch of spots: Horten, Philadelphia, Santa Clara, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Seoul, Chattanooga. Ale Vini is his first film. He is one-half of Cool Baby.

Annie Huntington is a cinematographer, editor, and secret voiceover artist living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ale Vini is her first film. She is one-half of Cool Baby.

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