A quiet but significant shift is taking place for Rwandan cinema on the global stage with Ben’Imana, the debut feature by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo.

Set in Rwanda in 2012, the film unfolds in the years following the Genocide against the Tutsi, at a time when community-based justice systems continue to shape the country’s path toward reconciliation. At its center is Veneranda, a survivor who has dedicated herself to rebuilding through dialogue, organizing exchanges between victims and perpetrators’ families.

But healing in public does not always resolve what lingers in private. When her teenage daughter becomes pregnant, Veneranda’s sense of purpose begins to fracture, forcing her to confront the emotional contradictions she has long held at bay. In Ben’Imana, reconciliation is not presented as a conclusion, but as an ongoing, fragile process—one that can unravel within the intimacy of family.

Director Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

The film has been selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marking a historic first: it is the first time a film directed by a Rwandan filmmaker enters Cannes’ Official Selection. While Munyurangabo (2007) previously screened at the festival, it was directed by American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, making Dusabejambo’s selection a long-awaited breakthrough.

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

Dusabejambo’s journey to this moment has been shaped through a body of short films such as A Place for Myself, Icyasha, Behind the World, and Lyiza. Across these works, she has explored questions of identity, memory, and social realities—concerns that now take on a broader and more layered form in her first feature.

Ben’Imana was developed through several international labs and co-production platforms, including La Fabrique Cinéma, the Atlas Workshops at the Marrakech International Film Festival, and the Ouaga Film Lab, with additional support from the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund.

Produced by Samantha Biffot and Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu, the film reflects a cross-continental collaboration, with cinematography by Egyptian filmmaker Mostafa El Kashef and international sales handled by MK2 Films.

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival will run from May 12 to May 23, where Ben’Imana will premiere as more than a milestone—it stands as a reminder that stories rooted in memory, resilience, and lived experience continue to find new space and recognition beyond borders.