Ashes (2003)
A Lebanese short film about grief, ritual, and the weight of ashes carried home to Beirut by a son mourning his father.
Ashes - Movie Information
- Original Title: رماد
- Release Year: 2003
- Directed by: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
- Type: Movie
- Runtime: 26m
- Original Language: Arabic
- Spoken Languages: Arabic
- Production Companies: Abbout Productions, Mille et une productions
- Production Countries: France, Lebanon
Ashes - Plot
Nabil returns to Beirut with the ashes of his father who died abroad. He tries to overcome his bereavement while his family insists on respecting rites and customs by burying a non-existent corpse.
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Ashes - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
Main Cast
- Rabih Mroué
- Nada Haddad
- Neemat Salamé
- Georges Hayeck
- Ali Cherri
- Nadine Labaki
- Caroline Labaki
- Tanios Seif
- Marc Mourani
Writers
- Rabih Mroué
- Khalil Joreige
- Joana Hadjithomas
Producers
- Anne-Cécile Berthomeau
- Édouard Mauriat
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
Ashes - FAQs
What is Ashes (2003) about?
Ashes follows Nabil, who returns to Beirut carrying his father's ashes after the man died abroad. While Nabil struggles to process his grief privately, his family insists on observing traditional burial rites — even though there is no actual body to bury. The film explores mourning, ritual, and displacement in post-war Lebanon.
Why does the family insist on burying a non-existent corpse?
The family's insistence on performing burial rites despite the absence of a physical body reflects the deep cultural and religious weight of mourning customs in Lebanese society. The ritual becomes a way of asserting continuity and identity, even when the reality — a father reduced to ashes — resists traditional ceremony.
Who directed Ashes (2003)?
Ashes was co-directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, a Lebanese filmmaking duo known for their deeply personal explorations of memory, war, and identity. Their collaborative work spans fiction, documentary, and visual art, and Ashes stands as one of their most intimate short films.
Where can you watch Ashes (2003)?
You can find streaming and viewing options for Ashes on JustWatch, which lists all available platforms in your region. Availability may vary depending on your location, so checking JustWatch is the easiest way to find out where to watch it right now.
Is Ashes connected to Hadjithomas and Joreige's broader work?
Yes — Ashes fits squarely within the thematic universe that Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige have built across their career. Their films and art installations frequently return to Lebanon's civil war legacy, the tension between absence and presence, and the rituals people use to cope with loss and historical trauma.
Who are the main actors in Ashes?
The cast includes Rabih Mroué in the central role of Nabil, alongside Nada Haddad, Neemat Salamé, Georges Hayeck, Ali Cherri, and Nadine Labaki. Notably, Nadine Labaki — who would later gain international recognition as the director of Capernaum — appears here in an early screen role.
How long is Ashes (2003)?
Ashes runs for 26 minutes, making it a short film. Despite its brief runtime, it packs a quietly powerful emotional punch, using restraint and precise visual storytelling to examine grief, family obligation, and the cultural weight of mourning rituals in contemporary Lebanon.
What themes does Ashes explore?
At its core, Ashes wrestles with grief, displacement, and the collision between personal mourning and collective ritual. Set in Beirut, the film also quietly reflects on Lebanon's fractured post-war identity — the way families and communities cling to ceremony as a form of continuity when so much has been lost or scattered.
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