Entertainment

Rwandan Filmmaker's Breakthrough

Updated 2026-05-18 06:00 UTC 1 source Positive

Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo, a Rwandan filmmaker, has directed the country’s first film to be selected for Cannes. Her journey from development to success is highlighted in an interview with Deadline, showcasing the influence of mentors Haile Gerima and Lee Isaac Chung on her career.

Coverage timeline — 1 article

Deadline

‘Ben’imana’: Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo On Directing Rwanda’s First Cannes Title & How Haile Gerima & Lee Isaac Chung Helped To Launch Her Career

“I feel relieved,” Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo says with a relaxed smile. After more than a decade in development, she has just wrapped on Ben’imana, a bold and formally inventive film about Rwanda and the complex bonds that connect its citizens following the brutal 1994 Tutsi genocide.

2026-05-18 05:52 UTC