An upcoming feature film titled The Battle of Bisesero is set to revisit one of the most painful chapters of Rwanda’s history, focusing on the massacres that took place in Bisesero during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The project centers on courage, survival, and the enduring resilience that continues to shape Rwanda’s national memory.

Currently in production and expected to wrap up by midyear, the film is poised to become one of the first major genocide features to be told entirely by African filmmakers and creatives.

Bisesero, in today’s Karongi District in the Western Province, is remembered as one of the sites of intense violence during the genocide.

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Survivors in areas such as Muyira hill resisted repeated attacks as genocidaires fled west while the Rwanda Patriotic Front, Inkotanyi, advanced.

Producers say the film aims to strengthen African-led storytelling by handling history with care, accuracy, and moral responsibility. A key goal is to encourage young Africans to take ownership of their history and become responsible custodians of its telling.

The film is directed by award-winning South African filmmaker Mandla Dube. Lead actor Wale Ojo and producer Richard Hall are also attached to the project.

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According to the producers, development has taken more than three years, including extensive research trips to Bisesero and conversations with survivors and others connected to the region’s history.

At the heart of the story is a young girl and her father as they struggle to survive during the genocide. Dube explains that the film follows their determination to resist attacks and choose life in the face of overwhelming danger.

London-born actor Wale Ojo, who works between the United Kingdom and Nigeria, portrays Aminadabu Birara, a real-life hero whose story is central to the forthcoming film.

Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, Birara led a group of Tutsi vigilantes who refused to surrender to their fate. Instead of waiting to be killed, they chose to resist, standing their ground even when the odds were overwhelmingly against them.

Ugandan actress Tracy Kababiito plays Epiphanie, Birara’s daughter. A philanthropist, actress, host, and producer, Kababiito most recently appeared in the Netflix anthology African Folktales Reimagined.

For Birara, the story reflects a lifetime of survival, having endured earlier waves of violence and persecution targeting the Tutsi in 1959, 1962, 1963, and 1973, as well as the period following the launch of the liberation struggle by the RPF.

The film is being directed from a script co-written by Nigerian filmmaker Ema Edosio-Deelen and award-winning Rwandan director and screenwriter Joël Karekezi.

Karekezi gained international attention in 2018 with The Mercy of the Jungle, which won the Golden Stallion for Best Film at FESPACO.

The Battle of Bisesero is produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Richard Hall, whose documentary The 600: A Soldiers’ Story about Rwanda in 1994 is available on Amazon Prime.

Additional cast members are expected to be announced.

For the director, the film is also about giving young people a voice. He says stories like Epiphanie’s remind youth, especially young girls, that their experiences matter and that they have the power to shape their own futures.

Lead actor Ojo said the project reflects a shift in how African stories are told. He described Rwanda as a country whose past and present deserve to be portrayed with honesty and pride, adding that African filmmakers are ready to take control of their narratives.

Kababiito said she is honored to be part of a story she believes needs to be told globally and with balance.

She noted that many people still do not fully understand what happened in Rwanda in 1994 and expressed admiration for the country’s recovery. "As a young person, I take determination and forgiveness as lessons from this story,” she said.

"Forgiveness is not about excusing the past. It is about freeing yourself so that what happened does not define who you are today.”