{"id":4411,"date":"2026-10-09T11:49:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4411"},"modified":"2026-10-09T11:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T11:49:19","slug":"benimana-becomes-rwandas-first-oscar-submission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/09\/benimana-becomes-rwandas-first-oscar-submission\/entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben\u2019Imana becomes Rwanda\u2019s first Oscar submission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Marie-Cl\u00e9mentine Dusabejambo\u2019s feature film Ben\u2019Imana<\/em> has been selected as Rwanda\u2019s first-ever official submission for the Academy Awards, following its success at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film will represent Rwanda in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, marking a milestone for the country\u2019s film industry. Its selection follows a Cannes premiere in the festival\u2019s Un Certain Regard section, where it won the Cam\u00e9ra d\u2019Or for best first feature and the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cannes screening was the first time a Rwandan film had featured in the festival\u2019s official selection, according to industry publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set in Rwanda in 2012, 18 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Ben\u2019Imana<\/em> explores the challenges of justice, reconciliation and forgiveness in communities where survivors continue to live alongside perpetrators and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story centres on Veneranda, a genocide survivor who believes in the importance of community tribunals and organises discussions between survivors and the families of perpetrators. Her convictions are tested when she learns of her daughter\u2019s unexpected pregnancy, forcing her to confront contradictions in her own beliefs and painful aspects of her past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film stars Cl\u00e9mentine U. Nyirinkindi, Isabelle Kabano and Kesia Kelly Nishimwe. It is Dusabejambo\u2019s feature-film debut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After its Cannes premiere, Ben\u2019Imana<\/em> had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is also scheduled to screen at the BFI London Film Festival in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on Feb. 19, 2027, through independent media company Alexander, while international sales are handled by mk2 Films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s selection makes Ben\u2019Imana<\/em> the country\u2019s first official entry in the Oscars\u2019 Best International Feature Film category. Submission does not guarantee a nomination; the film must progress through the Academy\u2019s selection process to reach the final nominees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marie-Cl\u00e9mentine Dusabejambo\u2019s feature film Ben\u2019Imana has been selected as Rwanda\u2019s first-ever official submission for the Academy Awards, following its success at the Cannes Film Festival […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,28,53,41,36,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-entertainment","category-featured-stories","category-hot_topics","category-international","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4416,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4411\/revisions\/4416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}