Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

EARLY LIFE

Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo was born in 1987 in Kigali, Rwanda. She grew up in post-genocide Rwanda and initially pursued studies in mathematics, physics, electronics, and telecommunications, earning a degree in electronics and telecommunications. She had little early exposure to cinema beyond limited local screenings. Her entry into filmmaking began around 2008 when she joined a group of young filmmakers in her neighbourhood associated with Almond Tree Films. In 2010 she won a Tribeca Film Institute script competition, which enabled her to direct her first short film.

CAREER

Dusabejambo is a self-taught filmmaker whose work focuses on contemporary Rwandan society, discrimination, gender and identity, intergenerational trauma, and post-genocide reconciliation. She has directed four acclaimed short films that screened widely at international festivals and accumulated major African and international awards: Lyiza (2011) – her debut short; premiered at Tribeca; won Tanit Bronze at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC) 2012 and other prizes. Behind the Word (2013). A Place for Myself (2016) – centers on a young Rwandan girl with albinism facing stigma and discrimination at school (inspired by reports of violence against people with albinism in the region). Awards include Ousmane Sembène Award and Golden Dhow at Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), Tanit Bronze at Carthage, Thomas Sankara Prize at FESPACO 2017, and nominations including Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). Icyasha (Etiquette, 2018) – follows a 12-year-old boy bullied for being perceived as effeminate who wants to join the neighborhood football team. Won the Golden Zébu for Panafrican Short Film at Rencontres du Film Court Madagascar 2019; nominated at ZIFF, Carthage, and AMAA. Her debut feature film, Ben’Imana (also styled Ben'imana or Benimana, 2026), premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival—the first film by a Rwandan director to appear in the Official Selection at Cannes. Set in 2012, nearly two decades after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the film follows Vénéranda, a survivor involved in community justice and reconciliation efforts, as personal and collective traumas resurface. The film won the Caméra d’Or (best first feature across all sections) and received strong critical attention. It was later selected as Rwanda’s official submission for the Academy Awards. The project was developed through international labs (including La Fabrique Cinéma, Atlas Workshops, and others) and received support from funds such as the Berlinale World Cinema Fund, Sørfond, and Red Sea Film Foundation programs. Dusabejambo was also honored at the Red Sea Film Foundation’s Women in Cinema Gala during Cannes 2026.

PERSONAL LIFE

Dusabejambo is based in Kigali, Rwanda. She keeps her personal life private. She has spoken about the personal and collective weight of Rwanda’s history and the importance of storytelling as a means of processing memory, trauma, and reconciliation. She has also worked as a researcher on the documentary series Why We Hate (Steven Spielberg and Alex Gibney) and contributed in continuity and other production roles on projects such as Neptune Frost.

Dusabejambo’s films are noted for their focus on everyday resilience, the experiences of women and marginalized individuals, and nuanced explorations of memory and coexistence in post-conflict Rwanda. She has been recognized as a leading voice among a new generation of Rwandan women filmmakers. Her work has been supported by residencies and development programs, including at the Akademie der Künste (Berlin) and Le Groupe Ouest.