The international success of Ben’Imana has brought Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo a new opportunity in Hollywood, with the director signing a representation agreement with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) following her award-winning debut.
The agreement was reported on Thursday, November 12, after Dusabejambo won the Caméra d’Or for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival in May. CAA, based in Los Angeles, represents filmmakers and other creative professionals in negotiations and career development.
“Making a first film is like jumping into the void,” Dusabejambo said during her Cannes acceptance speech, crediting her filmmaking collaborators for supporting the project.
The new arrangement means CAA can represent the director in discussions about future projects and potential partnerships with production companies. No new film or Hollywood studio contract has been announced.
Dusabejambo made history at Cannes when Ben’Imana became the first film by a Rwandan director selected for the festival’s Official Selection. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section and also received the FIPRESCI critics’ prize.
The Caméra d’Or recognises the best debut feature presented across Cannes selections. Its award to Dusabejambo placed her among emerging filmmakers whose work has attracted international recognition.
Her film is set in Rwanda in 2012, during community-led efforts to pursue justice and reconciliation following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Its central character, Vénéranda, is a survivor who encourages dialogue between victims and families of perpetrators.
Vénéranda’s understanding of forgiveness is tested when she discovers her daughter is pregnant, forcing her to confront painful memories within her own family. The drama stars Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi, Kesia Kelly Nishimwe and Isabelle Kabano.
The 101-minute production took about ten years to develop. It brought together partners from Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway and Côte d’Ivoire, while roughly 90 percent of its crew came from Rwanda’s film industry.
Following its Cannes success, Ben’Imana was screened at international festivals including Toronto, BFI London and AFI Fest. The film also earned a nomination for Best International Feature at the 2026 Gotham Film Awards.
In October, Rwanda selected the film as its first submission for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. Selection by Rwanda does not mean the film has secured an Oscar nomination.
For Dusabejambo, the journey began in Kigali, where she grew up and taught herself filmmaking. She joined a neighbourhood group of young filmmakers in 2008 and later won a screenwriting competition organised by the Tribeca Film Institute.
Her first short film, Lyiza, screened at Tribeca in 2011 and won a Bronze Tanit award at the Carthage Film Festival the following year. She subsequently made A Place for Myself and Icyasha.
International sales of Ben’Imana are handled by MK2, while Alexander has acquired distribution rights in several English-speaking markets. Those distribution arrangements are separate from the director’s new representation deal with CAA.
The signing gives Dusabejambo another way to pursue future projects while the film that brought her international attention continues to reach audiences outside Rwanda.
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