Rain on the Dead (Pleuvoir sur les morts)

Yasmina Hamlawi

In search of her origins and her deceased grandfather, Kenza, an eight-year-old girl, travels to Algeria, with her mother, Yasmina. Through the reconstituted fragments, Kenza reconnects with a part of herself. With her pencils, she colours her discoveries with candour and philosophy. For her mother, the quest is quite different: years ago, her father was repatriated from France to Algeria to be buried. But then the traditional funeral rituals put her aside, and Yasmina was unable to bid him a proper farewell. With a prayer, a bit mystical and a bit magical, mother and daughter invent together a new ritual in which they recognise themselves. The strength of the ritual enables them to perpetuate their bond with their deceased parent beyond death.

Belgium 2024, '46

DIRECTOR: Yasmina Hamlawi

SCENARIO: Yasmina Hamlawi

MONTAGE: Yasmina Hamlawi, Roxane Brunet

MUSIC: Manuel Hermia

PRODUCERS: Manuel Hermia

PRODUCTION: Jackal Productions, RTBF

Yasmina Hamlawi

Yasmina Hamlawi is a freelance journalist with a degree in international law. Her work focuses on women's access to fundamental rights in a globalised world. From the Arab world to India, from Bangladesh to Iran, Yasmina writes about people and their struggle for life: social equality, migration, access to water and education, and climate impact. During her reports, she decided to swap the pen for the microphone and made her first creative documentary The Price of Exile.
Through her radio creations, Yasmina continues to give voice to the voiceless and to deal with non-visible, almost unspeakable subjects. She explores sound territories to give strength and accuracy to the story. Pearl, her second radio documentary, was awarded the Grand Prix of URTI 21 radio and the Prix Europa 22, the German version arranged by Annika Erichsen won the Civis media prize 24. Her last documentary Rain on the Dead was elected best radio documentary of the year in France by Scam – the French Copyright Society - in 2025 and won the Jury Commendation at Prix Europa 2025.