Veneranda, a survivor of the Tutsi genocide working for reconciliation, must face her old demons when her daughter unexpectedly gets pregnant. 

BENIMANA is a story of the friction between collective and individual existence. Veneranda, a survivor of the Tutsi genocide who is working for reconciliation, thinks her past is behind her when her old demons resurface as she learns of her daughter's pregnancy, under the silent eye of the grandmother, who feels the family balance wavering.

Rwanda, 2012. The country is emerging from an era of silence after the 1994 Tutsi genocide, and people's courts are being set up with the aim of bringing justice and reconciliation. Veneranda, a survivor, is convinced of the need for these trials. Despite pressures, she organises discussion sessions between victims and the families of the executioners. Therapy for some, an act of betrayal for others, these testimonial sessions revive and reveal the traumas that each of them try to overcome, in their own way. The wounds of Veneranda's past are exposed again when she learns of her daughter's unexpected pregnancy and the identity of the father. Veneranda has to face her own contradictions and the dark parts of her past.

mit | starring | avec
Clémentine U. NYIRINKINDI, Kesia Kelly NISHIMWE, Arivere KAGOYIRE, Isabelle KABANO, Antoinette UWAMAHORO

um filme de / a film by / un film de
Marie-Clémentine DUSABEJAMBO

2026 | Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Gabon, France, Norway | 1h41 | Feature narrative | Historical Drama | in Kinyarwanda

First Feature | Premier long métrage de fiction

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:
BEN'IMANA is about intergenerational trauma and the need to deconstruct prejudices and resentments. The film's characters, who are mainly women, go through successive moments of happiness, chaos and darkness in which love and hate, resentment and reconciliation are intertwined.They thus portray my country, Rwanda, in its effort to rebuild itself after the Tutsi genocide of 1994.


Title | Titre :
BEN'IMANA

Type : Feature narrative | Long métrage Fiction
Genre | Genre : Drama | Drame
Country | Pays : Rwanda, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Norway | Rwanda, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Norvège
Language | Langues originales : Kinyarwanda
Runtime | Durée : 101 minutes (1h41)
Estimated Budget (USD): 920,371


SCHAUSPIELERINNEN, SCHAUSPIELER | CAST | ACTRICES, ACTEURS :
Vénéranda : Clémentine U. NYIRINKINDI
Tina : Kesia Kelly NISHIMWE
Grandmère : Arivere KAGOYIRE
Suzanne : Isabelle KABANO
Victoire : Antoinette UWAMAHORO
Madeleine : Leocadie UWABEZA
Karangwa : Aime Valens TUYISENGE
Ingabire : Hamida UWIMANA
Juge : Adelite MUGABO
Théodata : Clemence MURORUNKWERE

Producers | Productrices :
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Samantha Biffot


REGISSEURIN / REALIZADORA / DIRECTOR / RÉALISATRICE :
Marie-Clémentine DUSABEJAMBO

Screenwriter | Scénariste :
Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

PRODUKTION / PRODUÇÃO / PRODUCTION / PRODUCTION :
► EJO CINE (Rwanda)
► OGWELI PRODUCTION (Côte d'Ivoire)

KO-PRODUKTION | COPRODUÇÃO | CO-PRODUCTION | COPRODUCTION :
Les films du bilboquet (France)
Duo Films (Norway)
Princesse M Productions (Gabon)

Financers | Financements :
Jeune Création Francophone (+ Bonus DEENTAL) (France);
OIF - Fonds de développement (OIF - Development Fund) (Francophonie);
OIF - Aide à la production (+ Bonus ACP) (OIF - Production Aid + ACP Bonus) (Francophonie);
TUI Care Foundation - Co-Production Award (Germany);
Rwanda Film Fund (+ Bonus ACP) (Rwanda);
Hubert Bals Fund - Script Development (Netherlands);
Visions Sud Est (Switzerland);
Canal+ Afrique (France);
Institut Gabonais de l'Image (Gabonese Image Institute) (Gabon);
TV5 Monde (France);
Sørfond (Norway).

CONTACT (Print Copy / Diffusion du film, Festivals) :
► Ad Vitam (Paris, France)
Joanna DURRINGER | joanna(@)advitamdistribution.com | guillaume(@)advitamdistribution.com
► EJO CINE (Kigali, Rwanda) | +250 788 807 161 | benimanafilmproject(@)gmail.com
► OGWELI PRODUCTION (Cocody, Attoban | Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire)
+2250797348356 | Samanthabiffot(@)gmail.com



🏆🏆🏆 PREMIOS | AWARDS | PRIX 🏆🏆🏆 (selection) :
🏆 Caméra d'Or (Cannes Film Festival, 2026, CANNES | France)
🏆 FIPRESCI Award (Cannes Film Festival, 2026, CANNES | France)


FESTIVALS - PROJECÇÕES / FESTIVALS - SCREENINGS / PROJECTIONS (selection) :

Avec son projet de film BENIMANA, Clémentine Dusabejambo a participé aux ateliers et résidences suivants: Sud Ecriture, Ouaga Film Lab, Le Groupe Ouest/ LIM 2020 et Medienboard/Berlin Artist -In-Residency.

/// 2025 | World Premiere - Selection : Un certain regard || Festival de Cannes 2026 || CANNES (France)


/// 2025 | Selection: Red Sea Souk Works-in-Progress (Red Sea Souk | DEVELOPED BY THE RED SEA LABS) | Red Sea FilmFest || Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

/// 2022 | Selection : Fabrique des cinémas du monde de l'Institut français | estival de Cannes 2022 || CANNES (France)



Fuente / Fontes / Our Source / Quelle / Nos Sources (MAIS INFORMAÇÕES / READ MORE / PLUS D'INFOS) :
► Africiné Magazine (Dakar) | www.africine.org
► www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/ben-imana/
► www.advitamdistribution.com/films/benimana/
► www.instagram.com/dusabejambo/
► www.instagram.com/sambiffot/
► www.instagram.com/fannyx02/
► https://ouicoprod.org/structure/?id=6
► https://site.cdn.institutfrancais.com/files/imported/FABRIQUE_CINEMA_2022_BENIMANA.pdf
► https://redseafilmfest.com/en/project-market-2025/
► BOOK OF PROJECTS 2025 (Red Sea FilmFest)
Updated by Thierno Dia, 07 June 2026