Eliane Umuhire

EARLY LIFE

Eliane Umuhire was born in 1986 in Kigali, Rwanda. She grew up in a family that valued arts and culture—her parents ran a pharmacy business, her mother was an avid reader, her paternal grandfather was a panegyric poet, and maternal uncles were sculptors and painters. Her interest in acting was sparked in secondary school when a French teacher asked her to memorise and perform a piece. She studied accounting at the National University of Rwanda in Butare (Huye District), graduating around 2004, and participated in the university theatre troupe in 2005. She later trained professionally at Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company under Hope Azeda and at Ishyo Arts Center with Carole Karemera. She also trained at the El-Hamra Theatre in Tunis and with Robert Castle in New York.

CAREER

Umuhire is an award-winning actress whose work spans Rwandan theatre, African and European cinema, and international productions. She is also active as a dancer, stage director, and producer (associated with Isi Production in France). Stage She began performing on Rwandan stages around 2005. Early credits include La ravizor, Umutego Speciale, and African Hope (2012). In 2021 she took the leading role in the one-woman play Solas (Cie Corps Indociles, directed by Fernanda Areias), with a residency at the French Institute in Bucharest. She has also directed stage work, including Motherland – the Syrian and Burundian Monologues at the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Kigali. Screen – Breakthrough and major roles Her international breakthrough came with the Polish film Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali, 2017, directed by Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze), in which she played Claudine Mugambira, a Rwandan genocide survivor. The performance earned widespread critical praise and multiple Best Actress awards, including at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival (Silver Hugo), Polish Film Festival, New York Polish Film Festival (Elzbieta Czyzewska Award), Let’s CEE Film Festival (Urania Award), and the MasterCard Rising Star at Off Camera. Subsequent notable film roles include: Things of the Aimless Wanderer (2015, Kivu Ruhorahoza) – premiered at Sundance Behind the Word / Behind the World (early short) Neptune Frost (2021, Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman) – as Memory (Afrofuturist musical; Cannes) Trees of Peace (2021/2022) – as Annick Bazigaga (2022 short, Jo Ingabire Moys) – title role; Best Actress awards at Clermont-Ferrand and Namur Omen / Augure (2023, Baloji) – as Tshala; Un Certain Regard New Voice Prize at Cannes A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) – as Zena (alongside Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and Djimon Hounsou) Planète B (2024, Aude Léa Rapin) – as Hermès My New Friends / Les gens d’à côté (2024) Television She has appeared in the French series Nina and the Pig / La fille au cœur de cochon (2022) and Haven of Grace / De Grâce (Arte, 2023–2024) as Joy Oliser.

PERSONAL LIFE

During the COVID-19 pandemic Umuhire moved to France and later acquired French citizenship. As of 2024 she was living in Grenoble. She keeps details of her private relationships largely out of the public domain. She has returned to Rwanda for professional activities, including leading an actors’ workshop at the Kigali Cine Junction film festival (2024).

Eliane Umuhire is widely regarded as one of the most internationally recognised Rwandan actresses of her generation. She has served on juries, including the 63rd Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival (2024), and has been an ambassador for initiatives such as Pavillon Afronova. Her work frequently engages themes of memory, resilience, identity, and African stories while bridging local Rwandan theatre traditions with global cinema. She continues to work across film, television, and stage in Europe and Africa.