YAMMI(2023)

Tunisia, Belgium, France, Arabic - 100 min

Director

hinde Boujemaa

Color

Length

100 min

Language

Arabic

Producer

Hinde Boujemaa, Caroline Houben, François d'Artemare, Lina Chaabane

INFORMATION

hinde.boujemaa@which-one.tn


YAMMI

Tunisia, Belgium, France

LogLine

Yammi dies. Ahmed’s actions touch, impact and strike the lives of all the women around him, like so many collateral victims, like so many planets around a solar system.

Synopsis

She leaves behind her: her daughter Nadia, who is still single at the age of forty-two and has always lived with her mum; and her son Ahmed lost in his marriage with Maleke. One day, Ahmed, without consulting his sister who is still grieving her mother, comes to settle in the small family home with his wife and their 10-year-old son Tarek, over-protected by Maleke. Their mother did not share the property during her lifetime, so according to the law the house mostly belongs to Ahmed, even though Nadia paid a large part for it with her mother. Ahmed's actions touch, impact and strike at the lives of all the women around him, like so many collateral victims, like so many planets around a solar system. For Nadia, even if she does share affection with her brother she lives it as an aggression. Maleke fights constantly, seeking a balance in a situation that is less and less. This aggression will affect all the components of their entourage.

hinde Boujemaa

Director

Director’s Statement

When I was 11 years old, my paternal grandmother died, leaving behind eight sons and one daughter who fought for years over a house. Just a house. The most shocking thing for me in all of this was that my beloved uncle, whom I used to visit every summer, moved into my grandmother's house with his wife and four children one day, without telling anyone and kicked my aunt out. Yammi dies. Ahmed’s actions touch, impact and strike the lives of all the women around him, like so many collateral victims, like so many planets around a solar system. Maleke is a victim of her husband's decisions, to whom she seems devoted. Maleke is a mother who has focused all her love on her son. She has an exclusive relationship with her son. She is the guardian of her little family, and has come to accept the unacceptable, such as leaving her apartment for a time, so as not to undermine their stability. And like anyone who takes too much without saying anything, one day she explodes, without thinking of the consequences. Nadia is a victim of this unfair distribution of inheritance. She's not a warrior. Shaken, weakened. She is one of those women who do not accept that they are powerless, but who are forced to resign themselves and live as best they can with this injustice. Nadia brings fatality to life.

Hinde Boujemaa, Caroline Houben, François d'Artemare, Lina Chaabane

Producer

Producer’s Note

I first discovered Hinde Boujemaa's work when she released her first feature film, "Noura Dreams''. This film, with its mastery of every aspect of filmmaking, touched me deeply and impressed me with its political commitment. Later, when Hinde was looking for producers to accompany her in the development of Yammi, it was a wonderful human and artistic encounter that brought us together, and we've been working on this film for two years now. 

Hinde is a deeply committed filmmaker who sees cinema as her ultimate and essential means of showing, demonstrating and combating the injustices and dysfunctions of society. While it's bound to provoke debate, as was the case when "Noura Dreams" was released, I'm sure "Yammi'' will find its audience, both in cinemas and at festivals. We need to establish development aid before turning to other sources of financing. Hinde would like to perfect her script and begin the location scouting and casting that will consolidate her case for production assistance.

Producer’s Filmography

Which One company is a new company founded by Hinde Boujemaa in 2021, currently producing a feature documentary and consulted by Nomadis Image. 

Climax Films is an established film production company based in Paris and Brussels run and founded in 2004 by Olivier Rausin. Caroline Houben joined the company and is now partner and producer. The company works with international writers and directors and has co-production partners across Europe and North America. Among Climax Films filmography, many award winning films and prestigious nominations such as “The Brand New Testament” by Jaco Van Dormael (Golden Globe and César nomination for best foreign film, 4 Magritte awards, the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes), “Séraphine” by Martin Provost (7 César awards and other international awards), “Mr Nobody” By Jaco Van Dormael (6 Magritte awards, Golden Osella award and Golden Lion nomination).