Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (; born in 1987) is a Rwandan filmmaker known for films that explore the complexities of contemporary Rwandan society. In 2026, she became the first director from Rwanda to premiere a film in the Cannes Official Selection with her debut feature, Ben'Imana.
Life Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo was born in Kigali in 1987 Rwanda.Linda M. Kagire, FESPACO recap: Nyirasafari highlights government efforts to boost film industry, The New Times, March 1, 2019. She trained as an electrical and telecommunications engineer before turning to filmmaking.Thierno I. Dia, Dusabejambo Clémentine, africine.org, May 7, 2019.
Her first film, Lyiza, won a Tanit bronze award at the Carthage Film Festival in 2012. A Place for Myself (2016), her third film, follows a young Rwandan girl with albinism who struggles in the face of discrimination and stigma at school.Moses Opobo, Rwandan film selected for Toronto Black Film Festival, The New Times, February 8, 2017. The story was inspired by news reports of the 2007-2008 killings of people with albinism in Tanzania.Stephanie Jason, The rise of Rwanda's women filmmakers, Mail & Guardian, March 24, 2017. The film premiered at the Goethe Institut in Kigali Moses Opobo, Dusabejambo on scooping Thomas Sankara Prize at FESPACO, The New Times, March 12, 2017. and was shown at the 2017 Toronto Black Film Festival. It won several awards, including the Ousmane Sembène Award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF); the Tanit bronze award at the Carthage Film Festival, and the Thomas Sankara Prize at FESPACO.Moses Opobo, Rwandan film scoops two prestigious awards at FESPACO, The New Times, March 8, 2017. A Place for Myself was also nominated for Best Short Film at the 2017 Africa Movie Academy Awards.Glory Iribagazia, Rwandan film nominated for eight AMAA awards, The New Times, September 21, 2019.
Icyasha (2018) centers on a 12-year-old boy who wants to join the neighborhood football team but is bullied for being effeminate.Moses Opobo, Rwandan movies nominated for ZIFF 2018 awards, The New Times, July 10, 2018. It was nominated for Best Short Film at ZIFF 2018, in the short films category at Carthage Film Festival,Moses Opobo, Three Rwandan films in competition at Carthage Film Festival, The New Times, November 6, 2018. and for Best Short Film at the 2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards. It won the Golden Zébu for Panafrican Short Film at Rencontres du Film Court Madagascar 2019.
Her debut feature film, Ben'Imana premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. She was named among the six honorees for the Women in Cinema Gala hosted by the Red Sea Film Foundation during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
Feature films YearTitleNotes2026Ben'Imana
Short films Lyiza (2011) Behind the Word (2013) A Place for Myself (2016) Icyasha / Etiquette (2018)
References
External links