Comme un caillou dans la botte

Like a Pebble in the Boot lifts the curtain on Florence's illegal street peddlers, most of whom are Senegalese, hawking their wares as the only way to survive. Shot in both Italy and Senegal, this feature documentary explores how sharply contrasted the economic situation of these migrants is increasingly complicated by the Italian financial crisis and the tidal wave of refugees seeking asylum. Theirs is an exile full of pitfalls of which their families are not aware as they wait for their loved ones to return or at least send a money order that will help meet their basic needs. With their "Made in China" souvenirs or knock-off merchandise, Like a Pebble in the Boot shows how, in spite of themselves, these peddlers have become a symbol of our globalized world. But this reality is tinged with cynicism, as the estimated ten million tourists that visit Florence each year are completely unaware of the provenance of the knick-knacks they happily snap up. Directed by acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Hélène Choquette, Like a Pebble in the Boot links three continents already allied in commerce, but who are also equally bound by a profound human connection. —EMAfilms