Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo
Writer / Director
Rwanda
Born in Kigali (Rwanda), Marie-Clementine DUSABEJAMBO is self-taught filmmaker since 2008 and engineer in electronics and telecommunication by training. Her films, have played in many film festivals and Televisions around the world; have international recognitions and awards including: THOMA SANKA prizes in FESPACO 2017, Cinit award in Milano Festival 2012, the Ousmane Sembene Award and Golden Dhow in ZIFF 2016, Two Bronze Tanit in JCC (Tunis) and the EFERE OZAKO Award during AMAA awards 2017. BENIMANAis her first feature project.
Project
Benimana
Children of God!
BENIMANA is a story of friction between political authority and family dilemmas. It takes place in RWANDA in 2012, the country is emerging from an era of silence after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi by the extremist Hutu. Traditional trials: “ The word of the victims against that of the perpetrator” are held around the country. VENERANDA, 45, a reserved woman, genocide survivor, and district social worker helps women from both ethnicities to cope with the reconciliation process. VENERANDA confronts her past when her daughter TINA,18, born out rape, gets pregnant with her Hutu boyfriend. VENERANDA wants neither the relationship nor the pregnancy. She arranges the abortion for TINA against her will. Abortion fails. This results in a mother-daughter confrontation. In a country where reconciliation is a must, VENERANDA has to make a choice between leaving the past behind her to move forward or to build a bridge between the two worlds.
