Ben’Imana has won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marking another historic moment for Rwandan cinema on the international stage.

Presented by the International Federation of Film Critics, the award is one of the festival’s most respected honors recognizing outstanding cinematic achievement.

In addition to the FIPRESCI Prize, Ben’Imana also won the Caméra d’Or, Cannes’ award recognizing the best first feature film across all festival sections. The win marks a rare double honor at the festival and further strengthens the film’s standout presence in this year’s edition, underscoring its impact within the Official Selection.

Directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Ben’Imana already made history earlier in the festival as the first feature by a Rwandan director selected in Cannes’ Official Selection, where it premiered in the Un Certain Regard section on May 19.

At the heart of the film is Veneranda, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi whose life has been shaped by reconciliation and community healing. But when her teenage daughter unexpectedly becomes pregnant, the emotional balance she has carefully built begins to collapse, forcing buried wounds back to the surface.

Praised for its emotional restraint and intimate storytelling, Ben’Imana transforms painful history into a deeply human story about memory, motherhood, and forgiveness.

The film stars Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Isabelle Kabano, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe, Leocadie Uwabeza, Antoinette Uwamahoro, and Aime Valens Tuyisenge.

Produced by Samantha Biffot alongside Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu, the film continues to mark a major breakthrough for Rwandan cinema on the global stage.