THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN
2017 | 87 min | Norway, UK, Kenya
Directed by Julia Dahr, Kisilu Musya
18:00-19:00 Apéro – Cinématte Restaurant/Bar
19:00 . IIFF Opening Address
19:05 – Short Film – “Dulce” ESP/e
Main Film – “Thank you for the Rain” E/d
20:45 – Q & A Spotlight with Kisilu Musya
21:00-21:30 – Followed by a panel discussion
Worlds collide on the front line of climate change
Over the last five years Kisilu, a smallholder farmer in Kenya has used his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the impacts of climate change. He has filmed floods, droughts and storms but also the more human costs – his kids are sent home from school when he can’t pay the fees; men are moving to towns in search for jobs; and family tensions rise. Following a storm that destroys his house Kisilu starts building a community movement of farmers fighting the impacts of extreme weather and he takes this message of hope all the way to the UN Climate Talks, in Paris, COP21. Here, amid the murky cut and thrust of politics at the biggest environmental show on earth, Kisilu and Norwegian filmmaker Julia Dahr’s relationship takes on a remarkable twist, shedding a powerful light on the climate justice movement and the vastly different worlds they represent.
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Keynote Speaker
DIRECTOR | PUBLIC SPEAKER | HUSBAND & FATHER
"It is the greatest injustice of our time and age that those who did nothing to cause climate change are first and hardest hit, whilst we who have done most to cause the greenhouse effect are hit last and least. In Thank You For The Rain we see the frontlines in the battle against climate change. Thank You For The Rain should be a wakeup call for all."
Jan Egeland Tweet
DIRECTOR
Julia believes filmmakers can be changemakers. She is a Norwegian director and producer who is passionate about character driven stories that can raise attention about social and environmental issues in a new way, challenge stereotypes and create an impact. In 2015 she won the One World Media award, was nominated for the Grierson award and was included on the Forbes ’30 under 30′ list of young Europeans ‘driving and defining the world media’.
VIDEO DIARIST
Kisilu Musya is a farmer from Mutomo, South East Kenya. For the last 5 years he has been filming in the area with camcorders and mobile phones to capture the life of his family, his village and the impacts of climate change. Kisilu is constantly exploring new farming techniques and is an informal community leader with the drive and motivation to bring the community together to find common solutions on how to tackle climate change. Kisilu Musya is farmer from Mutomo, South East Kenya. For the last 5 years he has been filming in the area with camcorders and mobile phones to capture the life of his family, his village and the impacts of climate change. Kisilu is constantly exploring new farming techniques and is an informal community leader with the drive and motivation to bring the community together to find common solutions on how to tackle climate change.
VIDEO DIARIST
Christina Kisilu is a Kenyan farmer, mother of nine, and the wife of Kisilu. In addition to making video diaries for the film, she is an important contributor to the community work carried out by Kisilu. She has also taken part in a Heinrich Böll Gender Forum on climate change, food security and gender.
PRODUCER
Hugh Hartford is a producer/director whose credits include Ping Pong, a feature film co-produced by BRITDOC and Film 4 and released in cinemas worldwide. Hugh’s films have been screened in cinemas and public broadcasters worldwide and have been used as advocacy tools in UN, The Hague, Rwandan and UK Parliaments.