BEN’IMANA

RWANDA, GABON, FRANCE, NORWAY, IVORY COAST | 2026 | COLOR | DCP | 101’ | KINYARWANDA

How can one forgive something utterly abhorrent? Two decades after the horrific genocide in Rwanda, a survivor of the atrocities attempts to exorcise her own painful memories by taking part in one of the people’s tribunals for justice and community reconciliation being held across the country. However, when her teenage daughter’s sudden pregnancy unwittingly unearths a family secret, the protagonist sees her convictions shaken. Performed almost entirely by amateur actors who lived through the real events –just as the filmmaker herself did– “Ben’Imana” is not merely a commendable directorial debut. It is a call, as painful as it is redemptive, for compassion and the possibility of reconciliation, delivered with magnanimity and tremendous dignity. Winner of the Camera D’ Or and the FIPRESCI Prize at the recent Cannes Film Festival ‘Un Certain Regard’ for a true cinematic milestone in the country’s history. Loukas Katsikas

DIRECTOR: Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo
SCREENWRITERS: Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo, Delphine Agut
DoP: Mostafa El Kashef
MUSIC: Igor Mabano
EDITOR: Nadia ben Rachid
PRINCIPAL CAST: Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Isabelle Kabano, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe, Leocadie Uwabeza, Antoinette Uwamahoro, Aime Valens Tuyisenge

MARIE CLÉMENTINE DUSABEJAMBO
A self-taught filmmaker, born and raised in Rwanda. Her journey as a filmmaker started in 2008 when she won the Tribeca Film Institute script competition and directed her first short film, presented at Tribeca 2011. She worked as a researcher on Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney’s documentary series “Why We Hate”. She has a soft spot for everyday life, and her work as a storyteller attempts to make sense of the world. It is an expression of love, pain, and dreams as she explores the dualities of life. This is her first fiction feature project.

FILMOGRAPHY
2026 Ben’Imana