A Map for Saturday

In the life of a backpacker, every day feels like Saturday. In January of 2005, TV producer Brook Silva-Braga leaves his cushy New York City lifestyle for a year full of Saturdays. With five pounds of clothes and 30 pounds of video equipment, Brook arrives at his first stop, Sydney, Australia, where he quickly learns the ropes of long-term, solo traveling. Over the next 341 days, he will face a lengthy list of perpetual challenges: the lack of a single familiar face within 5,000 miles; the endless repacking of his over-stuffed bag; the unavoidable explaining of where he is from, where he has been, and where he is going; and the emotional goodbyes to his “five-hour friends” of every age and every nationality. From helping Thai tsunami victims, to learning of political instability in Nepal, to dodging muggers in Brazil, Brook never has a dull moment. The scenery is stunning and the commentary is inspiring in Silva-Braga's travelogue documentary A MAP FOR SATURDAY. – E.J.B.