Ben'Imana

Local title
Ben'Imana
Director
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Year
2026
Festival
30th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Genre
Subject
Mood

Survivors of the Rwandan genocide discuss the meaning of justice and the possibility of reconciliation.

Rwanda, 2012. In the years following the Genocide against the Tutsi, community-led trials for justice and reconciliation continue across the country. Vénéranda, a survivor, leads dialogue between victims and the families of perpetrators, helping others rebuild their lives and look towards the future. But when she learns of her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy, she is forced to confront the limits of her own convictions.

With an almost entirely female cast, Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s impactful drama is the first Rwandan film to make it into the main programme of the Cannes Film Festival. The film won both the Camera d'Or award for best debut feature and the FIPRESCI International Film Critics' Jury Award.

Through a powerful intergenerational narrative, it heals while empowering those born after 1994 to assert themselves.

Ben’Imana has been selected as Rwanda's entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Director
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Screenwriter
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Producer
Samantha Biffot
Cast
Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe, Arivere Kagoyire
Cinematographer
Mostafa El Kashef
Editing
Nadia Ben Rachid
Composer
Igor Mabano
Production
Ejo Cine Ltd, Ogweli Productions
Co production
Princess M Productions, Duo Film, Les Films du Bilboquet
Sound
Eugène Safali
World sales
mk2 films
Runtime
Subtitles

Screenings

5th Lux Hall Apollo Kino Plaza
Screening040521 / Ben'Imana
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Screening093114 / Ben'Imana
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Screening125220 / Ben'Imana
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer