Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), marking another milestone in a year that has brought international recognition for her debut feature film, &039;Ben’imana.'
According to entertainment publication Variety, the filmmaker, whose first feature as director won the Camera d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, has joined the talent agency, which represents actors, filmmakers and other creative professionals.
Ben’imana was named best first feature at Cannes, where it also received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. The film made history as the first by a Rwandan director to be selected for the festival’s Official Selection.
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Rwanda selected Ben’imana as its first-ever submission for the best international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards. It has also received a nomination for best international feature at the Gotham Film Awards.
Following its Cannes premiere, the film screened at several major international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and AFI Fest.
The production took over a decade to complete and was made through a partnership involving Rwanda and Gabon, with France and Norway also participating. About 90 percent of the crew came from Rwanda’s local film industry.
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International sales are being handled by MK2, while Alexander holds the film’s United Kingdom and United States rights. For Alexander, Ben’imana is also the first title under its newly launched film division.
About the filmmaker
Born and raised in Kigali, Dusabejambo developed her filmmaking skills largely through self-directed learning. She joined a neighbourhood collective of young filmmakers in 2008, an experience that helped set her on the path to directing.
In 2010, she won a screenwriting competition organised by the Tribeca Film Institute. The recognition helped her make her first short film, Lyiza, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011. The film later won the Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival in 2012.
She went on to direct other short films, including "A Place for Myself" and "Icyasha."
Her work has also extended beyond writing and directing. Dusabejambo served as an archivist on "Why We Hate," a documentary series produced by Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney. She also worked as an assistant director on "Faces We Lost."