Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo has earned a place in this year’s Cannes line up. Her debut feature, Ben’Imana, has been selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time a film by a Rwandan director premieres in the festival’s Official Selection. For context, Un Certain Regard, which translates from French as “A Certain Glance,” is a major part of Cannes’ official selection, introduced in 1978 to spotlight bold, innovative and often unconventional films, especially from emerging voices and filmmakers with a distinct visual style. ALSO READ: Kwibuka 32: Six must-watch documentaries on Genocide against the Tutsi The milestone follows Munyurangabo, which screened at Cannes in 2007 under American director Lee Isaac Chung. This time, the story arrives through a Rwandan lens, shaped by a filmmaker who has spent years building toward this moment. Set in Rwanda in 2012, Ben’Imana centers on Vénéranda, a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. View this post on Instagram She has rebuilt her life around community-led justice and reconciliation efforts, working closely with others navigating the long road toward healing. Her sense of purpose is tested when her teenage daughter becomes pregnant, stirring buried memories and exposing tensions that linger beneath the surface of daily life. What begins as a portrait of resilience becomes a more intimate reckoning. As pressure mounts both at work and at home, Vénéranda confronts the limits of her convictions. ALSO READ: New initiative to keep Genocide memory alive through film The film focuses on women rebuilding their lives while carrying the weight of a shared history, asking what forgiveness demands within the walls of a family. Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux described the film as “astounding” for a debut feature during the official announcement. For mk2 Films’ head of acquisitions Emmanuel Pisarra, the film signals the arrival of a distinct voice. He praised Dusabejambo’s ability to hold complexity without reducing it, calling attention to the clarity of her gaze and the emotional depth of her storytelling. MK2 Films is handling international sales. The Un Certain Regard section has long been known for spotlighting emerging filmmakers from around the world. Dusabejambo joins a 2026 lineup that also includes La Más Dulce by Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi and Congo Boy, a collaboration between the Central African Republic and DR Congo directed by Rafiki Fariala. Ben’Imana arrives after nearly a decade of development. The project moved through international labs and co-production platforms including La Fabrique Cinéma, the Atlas Workshops at the Marrakech International Film Festival and Ouaga Film Lab. It received backing from the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund and, in 2025, production support from Norway’s Sørfond. At the Red Sea Souk Awards in 2025, the film secured the $40,000 Red Sea Souk Post-Production Award and a $32,500 Filmmore in-kind Award. Produced by Samantha Biffot of the Ivory Coast and Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu of Rwanda, the film brings together a regional team. Cinematography is by Egyptian filmmaker Mostafa El Kashef, whose recent work includes Aisha Can’t Fly Away, also selected at Cannes in 2025. The cast features Clémentine Nyirinkindi, Isabelle Kabano, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe, Leocadie Uwabeza, Antoinette Uwamahoro and Aime Valens Tuyisenge. Dusabejambo is not new to international audiences. Her short films A Place for Myself, Icyasha, Behind the Word and Lyiza have explored themes of memory, identity and social justice. Lyiza screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and examined the emotional aftermath of the genocide through the eyes of a young woman navigating survival and belonging. The 79th edition of Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12 to 23 in France. For Rwanda’s film community, Ben’Imana represents the rise of a national cinema in which Rwandans are claiming space to tell their own stories on the global stage, shaping how their history and present are seen and understood, in their own words and through their own lens.
