Oscars: Rwanda Makes History With ‘Ben’Imana’ As First Official Entry
Rwanda has selected Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s post-genocide drama Ben’Imana as its first ever submission to the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards.
The selection continues a high-profile career for the film following its prize-winning premiere in Un Certain Regard in the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in May, where it clinched the Caméra d’Or for Best First Film and FIPRESCI Prize.
The film has since made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and will make its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival this month.
The selection of Ben’Imana as Rwanda’s first-ever Oscar entry was announced by Alexander, the independent media company of film producer Cameron Lamb, which acquired English-speaking rights to the film in September as the first acquisition of is new distribution division.
The company revealed that it will release the film theatrically in the UK on February 19, 2027 followed by a US release from March 2027. World sales are handled by Paris-based mk2 films.
Set in 2012, eighteen years after the genocide against the Tutsi, the film unfolds in a Rwandan village where survivors and perpetrators are grappling with the process of reconciliation.
Protagonist Vénéranda has spent years helping survivors and the families of those responsible speak the words that were never said between them. However, forgiveness comes easier when it’s someone else’s story. When her own daughter’s future becomes entangled with the past, Vénéranda is forced to find her own words at last.
The film stars Isabelle Kabano, who won acclaim for her performance in the 2021 feature Small Country: An African Childhood and introduces big screen debutants Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi and Kesia Kelly Nishimwe.
It is written by director Dusabejambo in collaboration with Delphine Agut, with cinematography by Mostafa El Kashef and an original score by Rwandan singer-songwriter Igor Mabano.
The film is a majority co-production between Rwanda and Gabon and minority co-production with France, Norway, and Côte d’Ivoire. It was shot entirely on location in Rwanda with a primarily Rwandan crew.
