Thank You for the Rain

Directed by Julia Dahr and Kisilu Musya

87 minutes / Color
Closed Captioned
Release: 2017
Copyright: 2017

Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, uses his camera to capture the life of his family of seven children and their neighbors. 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.

When a storm destroys his house, Kisilu starts building a community movement of farmers fighting the impacts of extreme weather. He brings this message of hope all the way to the United Nations Climate Talks in Paris. 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.

THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN addresses a range of issues linked to climate change, including climate justice, urbanization, gender equality, education, access to water, climate refugees, and adaptation.

"This compelling human portrait asks what the future holds when clear evidence of climate change presents itself and the most powerful politicians in the world choose to do nothing. An inspiring portrait of individual who knows that if one loves this planet, one must do all one can to save it." Patrick Mullen, P.O.V. Magazine

"Good intentions take a toll in this astutely human film: Kisilu grapples with setbacks, disillusionment and a wife and brood of children back home who seriously miss him." Peter Howell, The Toronto Star

"A look not only at the effects of climate change, but of the dedication it takes to be an activist and family man at the same time... An impassioned plea for climate change action." Andrew Parker, Toronto Film Scene

"Through Kisilu's lens, we see the daily domestic impact of global warming; the problem at micro-level. We feel the emotional impact." Kristin Innes, Moving Docs

"Both heartbreaking and inspiring." Frank Swietek, Video Librarian

"As a climate change researcher, I found Julia Dahr's film a must-see documentary." Professor John Grant, Department of the Natural and Built Environment, Sheffield Hallam University

"A compelling, engaging, and complex portrait [that] deftly illustrates the global structural imbalance in contemporary climate discourse and the importance of local movements. An excellent addition to undergraduate and graduate courses on the environmental humanities or on postcolonial ecocriticism and would complement the works of writer-activists such as Wangari Maathai, Arundathi Roy, and Ken Saro-Wiwa." Professor Alexander Fyfe, Pennsylvania State University, in the journal Africa Studies Review

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Select Accolades

  • Winner, Best Cinematography and Ethos Jury Prize, SIMA Social Impact Media Awards
  • Winner, Best Feature Documentary, FICMEN, Spain
  • Environmental Award Nominee, 2017 Sheffield Doc/Fest
  • Honorable Mention, 2017 Norwegian Short Film Festival
  • Official Selection, 2017 CPH:DOX, Denmark
  • Official Selection, 2017 Hot Docs
  • Official Selection, 2017 Cinemambiente
  • Official Selection, 2017 Dokufest
  • Finalist, 2017 TRT Documentary Awards

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