History made. Rwanda has submitted a film to the Oscars for the first time ever. “Ben’Imana,” directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, is the country’s entry for Best International Feature Film.
The film is set in 2012, 18 years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. It follows Vénéranda, a woman who helps survivors and the families of perpetrators work through what divides them, until her daughter’s future becomes tied to the past and she has to face her own history.
“Ben’Imana” is already winning. At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, it took home the Caméra d’Or for best first film plus the FIPRESCI Prize. It has also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and is headed to the BFI London Film Festival. Dusabejambo co-wrote the screenplay with Delphine Agut.
The film is set to hit theaters in the UK on February 19, 2027, with a U.S. release planned for March 2027.
African cinema is on the rise. Will you be watching?
Source: theGrio
Leave a comment