Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo (Benimana) : La Fabrique 2022 - Les Cinémas du monde

Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo: Benimana

Rwanda
La Fabrique 2022 - Les Cinémas du monde
Film project in development

Each year, the Fabrique des cinemas du monde selects film projects from around the world, during which the directors are invited to the Cannes Film Festival for two weeks. The activities include meetings, professional interviews and master classes, and the finalization of a script or completion of a budget.

Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Rwandan filmmaker and producer, was among the participants with her film project, Benimana (Children of God)!.

She had this to say about the project: "It's a film that talks about intergenerational trauma and the need to deconstruct prejudices… portraits of women in Rwanda, of women who were victims of the Tutsi genocide, of survivors, of women who are members of the families of the killers. I especially wanted to work on memory: how it is experienced at the individual level." (During an interview with RFI special correspondent, Isabelle Chenu)

"Benimana is a reflection on how political decisions impact us individually and what it costs us to be part of the community," she stated during an interview with Falila Gbadamassi of France Télévisions Rédaction Afrique

Synopsis

The feature film relates the story of Veneranda as she confronts her past when she learns that her daughter, who was conceived as a result of the rape she suffered during the Rwanda genocide, is pregnant by her boyfriend, presumed to be a Hutu, the ethnic group responsible for the genocide. Convinced that her daughter was raped and afraid that her history will repeat itself through her daughter, she decides to end the pregnancy and the relationship.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
BENIMANA is about intergenerational trauma and the need to deconstruct prejudices and resentments. The film’s characters, who are mainly women, go through successive moments of happiness, chaos and darkness in which love and hate, resentment and reconciliation are intertwined.They thus portray my country, Rwanda, in its effort to rebuild itself after the Tutsi genocide of 1994.

Sources:
lescinemasdumonde link
RFI link
Imagesfrancopones link
francetvinfo link
 

Films Femmes Afrique 2022 - Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams: Neptune Frost

Films Femmes Afrique 2022
Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams
Neptune Frost
Rwanda - États-Unis | USA - 2021 - 1h50 - fiction

Long-métrages en compétition
Feature films in competition
(fiction and documentary)

Synopsis
Neptune Frost is the love story between an African intersex hacker and a fugitive coltan miner. Born from this union is a virtual, high-powered cosmic blast.

Neptune Frost est l’histoire d’amour musicale entre un.e hacker Africain.e et un mineur de coltan en fuite. De cette union naît une déflagration cosmique, virtuelle et surpuissante.

Bio
Anisia Uzeyman is an actress,  playwriter and filmmaker. Born in Rwanda, she studied dramatic art at the l’École supérieure de theatre in France.

Anisia Uzeyman est une actrice, dramaturge et réalisatrice. Née au Rwanda, elle a étudié l’art dramatique à l’École supérieure de théâtre en France.

Saul Williams is an American poet, musician and actor.
Saul Williams est un poète, musicien et acteur américain.

They met during the filming of Aujourd’hui-TEY (Alain Gomis) which won the Etalon d'Or at Fespaco in 2013.

Ils se sont rencontrés lors du tournage de Aujourd’hui-TEY (Alain Gomis) qui a remporté l’Etalon D’Or au FESPACO en 2013.

 

Recent films. Amelia Umuhire: Settling (and audio documentary "Innocent")

Amelia Umuhire
Settling
Rwanda
12:21 - Documentary - 2021

 

Innocent, description of audio documentary below
 

Al Jazeera English launches Africa Direct, a distinctive series of compelling and immersive short documentaries produced and directed by all-African filmmaking talent.

In Kigali’s School of Architecture, Professor Josephine Malonza inspires her students to take a people-centred approach to "informal housing". She is part of a big urbanisation project in Rwanda’s capital and wants to see more community engagement in housing.

In Settling, by filmmaker Amelia Umuhire, Malonza shares her story and ideas and takes us on a trip to Kigali’s oldest urban settlement. Hers is a life of moving countries, challenging gender roles, and finding life affirmation after a personal tragedy made her reflect on the lessons of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Amelia Umuhire is a Rwandan filmmaker and artist. She wrote, directed and produced the award-winning web series Polyglot, the short film Mugabo and the Prix-Europa nominated sound piece Vaterland. Her work has been screened internationally. She is currently a head writer on a TV show for German broadcaster ZDF.

 

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/africa-direct/2021/12/21/settling-an-architect-in-rwanda

 

 

 

ALSO READ ABOUT RECENT AUDIO DOCUMENTARY BY AMELIA UMUHIRE: INNOCENT

 

Amelia Umuhire tells the story of Innocent Seminega – her father – as a young student, teacher, husband and parent up until his death at the hands of Hutu extremists in Rwanda in 1994. Tracing her family history as she addresses him, she weaves together threads from his love of linguistics, his romance with her mother, parenthood, and life lived amidst violent conflict – until unfurling her own story of her childhood and movement between countries – critiquing the white gaze which might try and frame her family’s story.

Innocent is an intimate portrait that resists the narrative canon that the West imposes on recent Rwandan history.

Source: https://agenda.brussels//en/525715/amelia-umuhire-innocent

 

JCC 2021. Inès Girihirwe: Breaking Ground

 

Inès Girihirwe
Breaking Ground
Rwanda
13min - Fiction - 2020

 

Synopsis
After another incident by her abusive husband, a woman seeks refuge with her neighbors during which she decides to change the course of her life.

Après un autre incident avec son mari, une femme maltraitée cherche des vieilles aventures ‎chez ses voisins où elle décide de changer le cours de sa vie.‎

Bio
Rwandan Inès Girihirwe is a Kigali-based scriptwriter and filmmaker. Her work is inspired by different aspects of life, particularly conflicts that are the most intimate and personal. Breaking Ground is her first film.

Inès Girihirwe est une scénariste et réalisatrice de films basée à Kigali, au Rwanda. Son ‎travail est inspiré par différents aspects de la vie, en particulier nos conflits les plus intimes. ‎Breaking Ground est son premier film.‎

(Source: https://www.jcctunisie.org/eng/filmsDetail.php?id_film=32)

Kantarama Gahigiri: Ethereality - FESPACO 2021

FESPACO 2021
Short documentary in competition

le Poulain d’or
Kantarama Gahigiri

Ethereality
Rwanda
14min38 - Documentary - 2019

Synopsis
Stranded in space for thirty years. How does it feel to finally come home? A reflection about migration and the sense of belonging.

Que ressent-on lorsqu'on rentre chez soi après trente ans passés dans l'espace ? Réflexions autour de la migration et du sentiment d'appartenance.
(Source: http://my.clermont-filmfest.com/)

 

Bio
Kantarama Gahigiri, who received her M.A. in Communications Arts, got her start in entertainment as a set production assistant, working on television shows and movies, like Men in Black 3. Now she focuses on stories about identity, diversity, and social issues. (Source: nyit.edu)

Kantarama Gahigiri est une cinéaste rwando-suisse. Son premier long métrage Tapis Rouge a été primé dans le monde entier, nommé pour TV5Monde Best Picture et est sorti en salles en France en mai 2017. Elle développe actuellement Tanzanite, un thriller afrofuturiste qui se déroule dans la ville colorée de Nairobi, avec lequel elle a participé à Realness, résidence d’écriture panafricaine. (Source:  https://www.lescinemasdumonde.com/

Alliah Fafin: Amani - FESPACO 2021

FESPACO 2021
Short fiction in competition

Le poulain d’argent
Amani
Alliah Fafin
Rwanda

 

17min - Fiction - Canada - 2020
Produced by/par Les Films de l'Autre | Alliah Fafin
Source: https://f3m.ca/film/amani/

Synopsis
In this tale, halfway between reality and fantasy, a mysterious narrator tells us the story of Amani, a young boy passionate about dance. Amani’s innocence and joie de vivre open the narrator’s eyes to the humanity he had never really cared about before. But as the night begins to rumble, Amani’s joie de vivre disappears to give way to his pain, which echoes in the silence of the plain.

Dans ce conte, situé à mi-chemin entre réalité et fantastique, un narrateur mystérieux nous raconte l’histoire d’Amani, un jeune garçon passionné par la danse. L’innocence et la joie de vivre d’Amani ouvrent les yeux du narrateur sur l’humanité dont il ne s’était jamais vraiment soucié auparavant.
Mais alors que la nuit se met à gronder, la joie de vivre d’Amani disparaît pour laisser place à sa douleur qui résonne dans le silence de la plaine.

Bio
Alliah Fafin was born in Rwanda and raised in Burundi until the 1993 civil war. After studying directing in New-York, she directed music videos for Dominique Fils-Aimé (Révélation Radio-Canada 2019-2020), as well as promotional videos for artists such as Rafael Lozano Hemmer (Winner of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts). She left Quebec in 2016 for Chad, where she worked with UNICEF on the production of several videos illustrating the problems encountered by local populations, Nigerian refugees and Central African returnees. In 2018, she direct her first short film Amani in Chad, which was inspired by her experience in Burundi.

Alliah Fafin est née au Rwanda et a grandi au Burundi jusqu’à la guerre civile de 1993. Après des études en réalisation à New-York, elle réalise des vidéoclips entre autres pour Dominique Fils-Aimé (Révélation Radio-Canada 2019-2020), ainsi que des vidéos promotionnelles pour des artistes comme Rafael Lozano Hemmer (gagnant du prix du Gouverneur général en arts visuels et en arts médiatiques). Elle quitte le Québec en 2016 pour le Tchad, où elle travaille avec UNICEF sur la réalisation de plusieurs vidéos illustrant les problématiques rencontrées par les populations locales, les réfugiés nigérians et les retournés centrafricains. En 2018, elle tourne, au Tchad, son premier court-métrage Amani qui s’inspire de son expérience au Burundi.

URUSARO International Women Film Festival (Rwanda) 5th Edition 2020 - Theme: Cinema, Tool for Development

URUSARO International Women Film Festival

5th Edition 2020

Theme: Cinema, Tool for Development

URUSARO International Women Film Festival is an annual celebration and cultural exhibition that promotes women in cinema for the benefit of the society and gender equality. It was created and is managed by CinéFEMMES RWANDA.

Dates: 4-11 October 2020

Subthemes: 

8 October - Management and Investment in cinema

09 October -  Local Film Market

10 October - Creativity in the Film Industry

11 October -  Cinema, Copyright and Development

Website: http://www.cinefemmesrwanda.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UrusaroIWFF/

Kantarama Gahigiri: "Tanzanite" - Un projet soutenu par/ A project supported by La Fabrique Cinéma

Kantarama Gahigiri

"Tanzanite"

Un projet soutenu par | A project supported by La Fabrique Cinéma

Rwandan-Swiss filmmaker Kantarama Gahigiri participated in the renowned script development programme La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut français during Festival de Cannes with her feature film project TANZANITE. “Tanzanite is a female-centric thriller, and an irreverent Afrofuturistic critique of the current state of affairs in Nairobi.”

Long-métrage réalisé par Kantarama Gahigiri, et produit par Kivu Ruhorahoza, PW. Rwanda Dans un Kenya sans foi ni loi, une décennie après la grande guerre des minerais de 2030, la petite Adea, enfant enlevée pour travailler dans les mines, trouve une belle gemme de tanzanite. Cela déclenche une violente réaction en chaîne impliquant un gang de ninja traditionnel et le ministre de la Culture excentrique et notoirement corrompu, Mike Sankara. Machachari, la célèbre détective loufoque, se montrera-t-elle plus rusée que tous les autres et trouvera-t-elle la tanzanite avant qu’elle ne détruise sa communauté ? Un projet soutenu par La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut français.

 

FESPACO 2019: Icyasha (Etiquette) by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

FESPACO 2019

Icyasha (Etiquette)  (2018) 16 min

by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

Official Selection | Sélection officielle

Short Fiction Film | Court métrage

Women at the 26nd Edition

Les femmes à la 26è édition 

Synopsis

A 12-year-old boy tries desperately hard to join a local boys' football team. His effeminacy disqualifies him. The boys often taunt him and bully him. He finds himself in a world where he must prove and claim his masculinity. The story shows the simultaneous pain and beauty of childhood.

Un garçon de 12 ans tente désespérément d'être admis dans l’équipe de football de son quartier. Mais son caractère efféminé le disqualifie. Ses camarades le dénigrent et l’ intimident à plusieurs reprises. Il se retrouve dans un monde où il doit prouver et revendiquer sa masculinité. Une histoire qui traite simultanément de la douleur et de la beauté de l'enfance.

Biography | Biographie

Marie Clementine Dusabejambo, born in Kigali, studied electronics and telecommunications in Rwanda. She is a filmmaker working with the Rwandan-based Almond Tree Films Collective.

Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo, née à Kigali, a fait des etudes en électronique et télécommunications. Cinéaste, elle travaille avec Almond Tree Films Collective basé au Rwanda.

Image source: https://twitter.com/dusabejambo

(Re)Discover Claudine Ndimbira

(Re)Discover Claudine Ndimbira

Updated to include: Profile of Claudine Ndimbira from Women's Voices Now

Ndimbira Claudine (Shenge Intare) is a young Rwandan female filmmaker residing in Kigali. At the age of 15, she began writing stories. In 2012, she began taking short courses in digital film making at the Kwetu Film Institute after high school. In March 2013, she participated in the animation workshop at the Luxor International Film Festival. In July 2013 she wrote and directed her first short film called “My mother, My hero” in a workshop called Girls Make Movies, during the Rwanda Film Festival.

From March-August 2014, as coordinator for the short film project “Shed Light on Your Rights,” she produced two fiction films, “Impuruza” and “She,” and directed another film called “SHE.” Ndimbira has participated in several workshops by the Europäisches Filmzentrum Babelsberg (EFB) in partnership with Kwetu Film Institute, where she directed her first short documentary Hora Mama.

Hora Mama was inspired by the complex reality for poor mothers. A mother can care so deeply about her daughter that she prostitutes herself. A mother can thrive in a life that she does not want her children to live. A mother can be broken but never cry. Ndimbira has developed a relationship with Mahoro, the mother in “Hora Mama,” and finds that the story of her struggle has forever affected her understanding of reality for women. The film may be viewed at: https://www.womensvoicesnow.org/films/hora-mama-dont-cry-mother

Source: https://www.womensvoicesnow.org/films/hora-mama-dont-cry-mother

Image: Maisha Lab

Claudine Ndimbira's experimental documentary Lend Me Your Voice, was released in 2022. Excerpt of the description of the film: In this intimate documentary essay, the director Claudine Ndimbira had the young woman tell her testimony through a group of readers. These men and women who know neither Akili nor her past, but they will develop with her, over the course of reading her story, a deep bond of empathy.

This article was originally posted as:

Claudine Ndimbira : Support her film project “Living like a shadow” about the LGBTQ community in Rwanda

Claudine Ndimbira had this to say about the film project:

With this project “Living like a shadow” I want to give the voice to LGBTQ community members in Rwanda to tell their stories, what they have been through, what they wish their lives could be but also to the society so that they say what is the reason why they think being gay is a problem to them.
Source: http://creativerwanda.com/interview-with-ndimbira-claudine-shenge/ NO LONGER ACTIVE

Synopsis

“Living like a shadow” is a 90 minutes film that will follow the lives of 3 characters. Even if some have similar issues or experiences – like living a double love life due to what the society expects from them or being judged often, each one of them has a unique story.

Excerpt from Director’s Statement

I want to make this film to shed light on that issue so that it can start a conversation. People fear what they don’t understand or what they refuse to understand but at the end of the day the solution is to talk about it and react positively.

Amelia Umuhire : Congo-Rwanda webseries Tuko - Life in Goma (FR-EN-DE)

Amelia Umuhire :

Congo-Rwanda webseries

Tuko - Life in Goma (FR-EN-DE)

Amelia Umuhire (Rwanda/Germany), widely known for her Polyglot webseries, produced the Congo-Rwandan web series Tuko, Life in Goma in 2017.

Amélia Umuhire (Rwanda/Allemagne), bien connue pour la série web Polyglot, a crée en 2017, la série web Congo-Rwandaise Tuko, Life in Goma.

FR : https://www.goethe.de/ins/cd/fr/kul/sup/krw/tuk.html

DE : https://www.goethe.de/ins/cd/de/kul/sup/krw/tuk.html

During a workshop sponsored by the Goethe Institut, artists from DR Congo and Rwanda jointly developed a webseries about the city of Goma. The city known for war and natural disasters is represented from an unusual perspective.

Tuko, Life in Goma is a web series, produced, directed and shot by ten young artists and future Congolese and Rwandan filmmakers. The series shows the city of Goma from the point of view of young creative people, who have surmounted the shared storied history of their country in order to create new narratives of a city generally known for war and natural disasters. In five episodes, the series explores the dynamic art scene, the specificities of the city, such as the similarities between church culture and bar culture, unemployment, urban myths. In addition, it draws intimate portraits of diverse inhabitants of the city. Through the experiences of local dance groups, the episodes invite viewers to plunge into the city's underground art scene and to see Goma from another perspective.

Under the creative direction of Rwandan filmmaker Amelia Umuhire, during a three-week workshop the series was produced and shot under the auspices of Yole Africa, Goethe Institut Kinshasa and Kigali.

She had this to say about her reason for creating the series and its importance to her:

FR : https://www.goethe.de/ins/cd/fr/kul/sup/gae/21022334.html

DE : https://www.goethe.de/ins/rw/de/kul/sup/ug/21025360.html

“Being Rwandan and German, it is important for me to get to know my neighbours beyond stereotypes and prejudices. For historical reasons, Rwandans and Congolese feel more distant that we are in reality. During the workshop during which young people from Rwanda and Congo came together. We realized that we had different images of each other. We create images and it is important to see how the images of others are constructed, and from this understand how the image is based on prejudices. The purpose of the workshop was to create together images of a reality that is just as real to us.”

The Internet and social media have been important tools for the creation and success of the series:

FR : https://www.goethe.de/ins/cd/fr/kul/sup/gae/21022334.html

DE : https://www.goethe.de/ins/rw/de/kul/sup/ug/21025360.html

“By using the Web series format, stories can be told in a way that does not take place via and other media. There is no restriction. Films can be viewed by anyone who has access to the Internet. Even here in Goma, there are more and more smartphones. This opportunity gives young people the opportunity to showcase their region from their own perspective, in contrast to the images that are often found in the media, where the emphasis is on poverty, suffering, violence. And this image ends up becoming a reality, to the point that even for us, inhabitants of the region, we internalize it too. The web series is unlimited, you do not need a lot of technology - it's really something revolutionary.”

Épisode 1: « Bientôt les messagers »

Pamela Tulizo, Victoire Ikitegetse, 4min30

Épisode 2: « Ajira »

Concorde Amani, Arnold Habyarimana, 4min59

Épisode 3: « Dawa »

Chamani Latouifa Feta Feta, Fiston Mudacumura, 3min09

Épisode 4: « Survive »

Giscard Twahirwa, Bernadette Vivuya

Épisode 5: « Ipseite Identique »

Promesse Kitakya, Elisabeth Utamuriza, 3min52

CINEF #4 2018 - Cinéma au féminin (Kinshasa) : A Place for myself | Une place pour moi by/de Marie Clementine Dusabejambo

CINEF 2018

Court Métrage – Short

Fiction

A Place for myself | Une place pour moi (2016)

by/de Marie Clementine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

SYNOPSIS

[English]

 “A Place for Myself” captures the story of Elikia, a five-year-old girl with albinism who attends a regular elementary school. Due to her skin colour her classmates make her realise that her "difference" is more a problem than a special trait. While the neighbourhood treats her as a stereotype, her mother encourages her. Together they fight back and raise their voice to find a place for themselves.

At some point, every child dreams of being a superhero, wearing a cape: imagining a power that makes it a reality. Along the way, many of us lose our self-confidence and our faith is taken away when the world shows us how different we are from what is called “normality. “A Place for Myself” is a reflection on our differences. Our goal is to inspire young people and to make them realise that human beings have a lot in common to focus on, rather than just differences.

[Français]

Dans une école primaire quelconque, arrive Elikia, une fille âgée de cinq ans, atteinte d’albinisme. A cause de la couleur de sa peau, ses camarades de classe s’aperçoivent que sa différence est plus un problème qu’un caractère particulier. Tandis que son voisinage la considère comme un stéréotype, sa mère la soutient. Ensemble, elles réagissent et élèvent leurs voix pour trouver leur propre place.

BIOGRAPHY | BIOGRAPHIE

[English]

Marie Clementine Dusabejambo, born in Kigali, studied electronics and telecommunications in Rwanda. She is a filmmaker working with the Rwandan-based Almond Tree Films Collective.

[Français]

Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo, née à Kigali, a fait des etudes en électronique et télécommunications. Cinéaste, elle travaille avec Almond Tree Films Collective basé au Rwanda.

Efere Ozako African Movie Academy Awards 2017 Best Short Film Clémentine Dusabejambo: A Place for Myself-Une place pour moi Khadidiatou Sow: Une place dans l'avion-A Place in the Plane

Efere Ozako African Movie Academy Awards 2017 Best Short Film

Clémentine Dusabejambo :
A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi 

Khadidiatou Sow :

Une place dans l'avion | A Place in the Plane

AMAA Facebook Page Image 

Clémentine Dusabejambo : A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi

Synopsis

[English]

 “A Place for Myself” by Marie Clementine Dusabejambo captures the story of a five year old albino girl, Elikia, who attend a casual elementary school. Due to her skin color her classmates make her realize that her being "different" is more a problem than a special trait. While the neighbourhood treats her as a stereotype, her mother encourages her. Together they fight back and raise their voice to find a place for themselves.

At some point, every child dreams of being a superhero, they put on a cape and imagine that they have the power to make them a reality. Along the way, many of us lose our self-confidence and our faith is taken away when the world shows us how different we are from what they call “Normality “A Place for Myself” is a reflection on our differences. Our goal is to inspire young people and to make them realize that human beings have a lot in common to focus on rather than just differences.

[Français]

Dans une école primaire quelconque, arrive une fille albinos âgée de cinq ans, Elikia. A cause de la couleur de sa peau, ses camarades de classe s’aperçoivent que sa différence est plus un problème qu’un caractère particulier. Tandis que son voisinage la considère comme un stéréotype, sa mère la soutient. Ensemble, elles réagissent et élèvent leurs voix pour trouver leur propre place.

Khadidiatou Sow : Une place dans l'avion | A Place in the Plane

Synopsis

[English]

A radio station announces that a special aircraft to the US is at the disposal of any traveller wishing to emigrate, on demand. But there is a limited number of places. Moussa, who has always dreamt of leaving, decides to set off.

[Français]

Une station de radio annonce qu'un avion spécial à destination des États-Unis vient d'être mis à la disposition de tout voyageur désireux d'émigrer, sans aucune formalité ou contrainte. Sauf que les places sont limitées. Moussa qui a toujours rêvé de partir se découvre des capacités insoupçonnés.

African Women in Cinema Blog Updates | Actualités 14-04-2017 - News around the Internet | Les infos autour de l’Internet

African Women in Cinema Blog

Updates | Actualités

14 - 04 – 2017

Content | Contenu :

African Film and Media

-Three Women Making Films in Zimbabwe
-Nollywood and Women

Stephanie Dongmo

Rwandan Women in Film

A Conversation with Tala Hadid

Afrique Plurielle - Alimata Salambéré - TV5Monde

Afrique Plurielle - Dada Stella Kitoga - TV5Monde 

Afrique Plurielle – Monique Mbeka Phoba - TV5Monde

In My Father’s Village by Tapiwa Kapuya 

Wolf 2017 Symposium | African Film and Media, University of Pennsylvania, April 2017: 

- Tsitsi Ella Jaji. Media, Development, and Trust: Three Women Making Films in Zimbabwe

- Chijioke Azuawusiefe. Nollywood and Women: Toward a (Re)Construction of Gender.  

Stephanie Dongmo

« Il y a beaucoup d’enfants avec plusieurs actes et plusieurs pères » Entretien réalisé par Claudel Tchinda. Hanoscultures.com

Tala Hadid

Arab Cinema Through a Narrow Frame: A Conversation with Tala Hadid.
Kamran Rastegar. March 2017 

Rwandan Women in Film | aKoma 12 March 2017

If the way we are being brought up as a girl affect our understanding of the world, how does this impact the work of female filmmakers? What stories do they tell?

Interviews with Dusabejambo Clémentine, Kantarama Gahigiri and Jacqueline Kalimunda video by Amplify fellow Cynthia Butare

RECENT FILM TRAILERS AND CLIPS

Alimata Salambéré

Afrique Plurielle - Alimata Salambéré - TV5Monde

Personnalité incontournable du monde de la culture, la burkinabé Alimata Salambéré débute en tant que journaliste-reporter avant de gravir les échelons et devenir chef des programmes de la RTB. L'un des membres fondateurs du Fespaco, elle s'est beaucoup investie pour faire rayonner l'événement à l'international.

Réalisation : Katy NDiaye (Belgique, 2016)

Dada Stella Kitoga

Afrique Plurielle - Dada Stella Kitoga - TV5Monde 

Émission composée d'un documentaire montrant les différentes facettes de l'Afrique et d'une production propre du CIRTEF, « Franc parler », qui donne la parole à des personnalités issues de différents milieux (littéraires, artistiques, scientifiques, sportifs... 

Monique Mbeka Phoba

Afrique Plurielle – Monique Mbeka Phoba - TV5Monde 

Émission composée d'un documentaire montrant les différentes facettes de l'Afrique et d'une production propre du CIRTEF, « Franc parler », qui donne la parole à des personnalités issues de différents milieux (littéraires, artistiques, scientifiques, sportifs...

Tapiwa Kapuya

In My Father’s Village by Tapiwa Kapuya and Tawanda Gunda, produced by Tsitsi Dangarembga. YouTube, posted 5 April 2017.

Ruvheneko, 19, rides on a bus and opens a picture book, gazing at old pictures of her father. She goes back to his village to claim her inheritance, but things have changed.

- Zimbabwe became independent in 1980. A fierce liberation war had brought the long awaited freedom, but the scars of this war are still felt until today. And the spoils of the war were only going to be shared with a few…

Read a profile of Tapiwa Kapuya at the ICAPA Trust.

Floriane Kaneza, director of the Mashariki African Film Festival (Rwanda), talks with Moses Opobo about its 3rd edition

Floriane Kaneza, director of the Mashariki African Film Festival (Rwanda), talks with Moses Opobo about its 3rd edition 

“Floriane Kaneza on the just concluded Mashariki African Film Festival”

by Moses Opobo 

The New Times

Rwanda

Published: 07 April 2017

Burundian filmmaker and director Floriane Kaneza, based in Rwanda since 2015, is the director of the Rwandan Mashariki African Film Festival. She began her career as a actress for the theatre, cinema and television--in TV series for the Burundi National Radio and TV. She trained in film production and directing at Itulive Media and Communications in 2012 and  and 2013, along with other partners, created Itulive Actors' Agency where she served as director.

Follow link to article: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-04-07/210265/

Rwandan Women in Cinema, Visual Media and Screen Culture

RWANDAN WOMEN IN CINEMA,

VISUAL MEDIA AND SCREEN CULTURE

African filmmakers aim to appropriate the images, techniques and the media in which they work, in the sense of a subjective representation of the social realities that surround them.

Digital technology facilitates this appropriation process in the creation of a self-image, in the sense that the general media adaptability that it engenders reinforces the expression of new subjectivities and contributes to the archiving of daily life.

This is Viviane Azarian’s assertion regarding the work of Rwandan filmmaker Jacqueline Kalimunda’s transmedia project Single Rwandan/Celib Rwandais.

Judging from the handful of Rwandan women in cinema who are becoming increasingly visible, using new technologies provides the means to reflect the realities of their societies. For example, Rwandan-German Amelia Umuhire’s Polyglot webseries examines the double-cultured identities of young afrodescendants in Berlin. Similarly, Claudine Ndimbira Shenge launched the “She&He” web series Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the She&He documentary web series focusing on LGBT in Rwanda. And another example of this ever-expanding phenomenon, using raw iPhone footage, U.S.-based Franco-Rwandan Anisia Uzeyman, creates a love story of a couple journeying across the United States.

The URUSARO International Women Film Festival was launched in 2015. The website presents the history of the festival as follows:

CinéFEMMES RWANDA is a non-profit organisation which promotes independent filmmaking by focusing on Rwandan female filmmakers through training, advocacy, networking and supporting their productions.

In November 2012, a group of Rwandan women filmmakers discussed their profession and realised that many Rwandan females have plenty of interesting film project ideas, but these were kept in cupboards because of limited self-confidence, lack of experience and opportunities and means to venture in the filmmaking industry. they finally decided to put their individual resources together by creating CinéFEMMES RWANDA to promote talents and interests of Rwandan females in filmmaking.

Following is a growing list of Rwanda women in cinema, visual media and screen culture, who work in Rwanda and its diaspora:

Amelia Umuhire, Anisia Uzeyman, Chantal Bagilishya (among the ancestors), Jacqueline Kalimunda, Marie Clementine Dusabejambo, Kantarama Gahigiri, Mugisha Pamella, Claudine Ndimbira

Below is an annotated list with links of relevant documentation regarding Rwandan women in cinema, visual media and screen culture.

Updated 04 Feburary 2023

ARTICLES ON RWANDAN WOMEN IN CINEMA FROM THE AFRICAN WOMEN IN CINEMA BLOG:

FESPACO 2019: Icyasha (Etiquette) by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

A 12-year-old boy tries desperately hard to join a local boys' football team. His effeminacy disqualifies him. The boys often taunt him and bully him. He finds himself in a world where he must prove and claim his masculinity. The story shows the simultaneous pain and beauty of childhood.

See: https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/02/fespaco-2019-icyasha-etiquette-byde.html

(Re)Discover Claudine Ndimbira

Claudine Ndimbira (Shenge Intare) based in Kigali, began writing stories when she was fifteen-years old. After school she attended digital filmmaking classes at the Kwetu Film Institute. The following year in 2013, she participated in the animation workshop at the Luxor International Film Festival. The same year, During the Rwanda Film Festival workshop, Girls Make Movies, she directed the short film "My Mother, My Hero, for which she wrote the script. See: https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/12/claudine-ndimbira-support-her-film.html

Amelia Umuhire : Congo-Rwanda webseries Tuko - Life in Goma (FR-EN-DE). Widely known for her Polyglot webseries, Amelia Umuhire produced the Congo-Rwandan web series Tuko, Life in Goma in 2017. See https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/07/amelia-umuhire-congo-rwanda-webseries.html

Jacqueline Kalimunda : Love in Rwanda | De l'amour au Rwanda – TV5 MONDE +. Love in Rwanda. Claudine, a businesswoman, navigates between several jobs in order to construct a life independent of men. Neza, who is the younger of the two, dreams of the ideal man. Between these two experiences are the desires and disappointments of women in Rwanda. See http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2017/02/jacqueline-kalimunda-love-in-rwanda-de.html

Single Rwandan / Celib Rwandais by/de Jacqueline Kalimunda analyse/analysis by/par Viviane Azarian. Translation of analysis from French. While 2014 revived the international media interest in Rwanda, 20 years after the genocide of the country’s Tutsi population, filmmaker Jacqueline Kalimunda prepares for the 2015 release of a documentary, book, and web platform on "love in Rwanda". In a country where hatred reached the paroxysm of horror in 1994, a subject theoretically “ordinary" is nonetheless a profound inquiry. http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2015/06/single-rwandan-celib-rwandais-byde.html

Rwanda Film Festival 2013 : Our Mothers, Our Heroes
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2013/08/rwanda-film-festival-2013-our-mothers.html

Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo parle du cinéma au Rwanda. La jeune cinéaste rwandaise Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo a beaucoup d’espoir pour le futur du cinéma au Rwanda. Elle nous parle de sa passion pour les films. See: http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2012/02/marie-clementine-dusabejambo-parle-du.html

Marie Clementine Dusabejambo talks about cinema in Rwanda. Marie Clementine Dusabejambo, a young filmmaker from Rwanda has great hopes for the future of Rwandan cinema. She talks to us about her passion for filmmaking.

See: http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2012/02/marie-clementine-dusabejambo-talks.html

Amelia Umuhire : "Polyglot" - webseries | websérie (Berlin). "Polyglot", a webseries created, written, directed and edited by Amelia Umuhire, a Rwandan-European self-taught filmmaker from Berlin and self-identifying Afro-European. See: http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2015/07/amelia-umuhire-polyglot-webseries.html

Jacqueline Kalimunda: “Single Rwandan” and her crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Jacqueline Kalimunda talks about her project in progress, “Single Rwandan”, the importance of new technologies and her Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. See http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2014/11/jacqueline-kalimunda-single-rwandan-and.html

Jacqueline Kalimunda : « Celib Rwandais » et sa campagne de crowdfunding sur Indiegogo. Jacqueline Kalimunda parle de son projet en cours « Celib Rwandais », l’importance des nouvelles technologies, et sa campagne de crowdfunding sur Indiegogo. See: http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2014/11/jacqueline-kalimunda-celib-rwandais-et.html

Jacqueline Kalimunda’s Rwanda. Excerpts from Jacqueline Kalimunda’s website and a portrait about her at the Women’s International Film Festival of Creteil in 2010. See: http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2010/07/jacqueline-kalimundas-rwanda.html

In Memory of Chantal Bagilishya | À la memoire de Chantal Bagalishya. A tribute to the late Rwandan producer Chantal Bagilishya. See http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.fr/2009/10/in-memory-of-chantal-bagilishya.html

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST REGARDING RWANDAN WOMEN IN CINEMA

The Rise of Rwanda's women filmmakers by Stefanie Jason, Fellow, International Women's Media Foundation's Great Lakes Reporting Initiative. Stefanie Jason follows the trajectory of several women of Rwanda and the Rwandan diaspora, who are at various stages of the their journey into cinema: Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Ndimbira Shenge, Anisia Uzeyman, Mugisha Pamella. See: https://mg.co.za/article/2017-03-24-00-the-rise-of-rwandas-women-filmmakers

Filmmaker Ndimbira recounts her journey into film writing. In an interview with Moses Opobo Claudeine Ndimbira Shenge talks about her evolution into filmmaking. 03 January 2016.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/195786/

Investing in Love: Jacqueline Kalimunda's 'Single Rwandan'. Interview by Marian Evans of Wellwoodwoman. An extensive interview during which Jacqueline Kalimunda talks about her evolution into cinema, her films, and her experiences working locally in Rwanda and internationally across the globe. 11 November 2014. See: https://wellywoodwoman.blogspot.fr/2014/11/investing-in-love-jacqueline-kalimundas.html

Rwandan Director Anisia Uzeyman Asks: “Can Black Love Survive the American Dream?” T. Anthony Schear analyses Anisia Uzeyman’s film Dreamstates, a film that she directs and in which she acts with her real-life husband, singer Saul Williams. See:  http://reelydope.com/2017/11/17/dreamstates-movie-anisia-uzeyman

She & He – A web series project produced by Lycamedia Africa Ltd. In 2016 Claudine Ndimbira Shenge launched the She&He web series Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The She&He documentary web series had as objective to focus on LGBT in Rwanda. While the campaign did not reach its funding objective and hence was not funded, the project proposal emphasized the importance of telling the “many stories, hidden, forgotten or simply untold that are out there.” See: http://lycamedia-africa.com/shehe/

REPORT BY BETI ELLERSON

Luxor African Film Festival 2017: A Place for Myself | “Une place pour moi” by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

Luxor African Film Festival 2017:

A Place for Myself | “Une place pour moi” by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

Women at the 6th Edition |

Les femmes à la 6e édition

SHORT FILM | COURT METRAGE

Synopsis: A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi by (2016)/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

[English]

 A Place for Myself relates the story of Elikia, a five year old girl with albinism, who attends an ordinary elementary school. Due to her skin color her classmates make her realize that her being ‘different’ is more a problem than a special trait. While the neighborhood treats her as a stereotype, her mother encourages her. Together, they fight back and raise their voice to find a place for themselves.

At some point, every child dreams of being a superhero, wearing a cape; imagining a power to make these dreams a reality. Along the way, self-confidence and faith are lost, when the world reveals that there is a difference between ones self-perception and that which is called "normality". A Place for Myself is a reflection on difference. The goal is to inspire young people and to make them realize that human beings have a lot in common to focus on rather than just differences.

[Français]

Dans une école primaire quelconque, arrive une fille albinos âgée de cinq ans, Elikia. A cause de la couleur de sa peau, ses camarades de classe s’aperçoivent que sa différence est plus un problème qu’un caractère particulier. Tandis que son voisinage la considère comme un stéréotype, sa mère la soutient. Ensemble, elles réagissent et élèvent leurs voix pour trouver leur propre place.

Jacqueline Kalimunda : Love in Rwanda | De l'amour au Rwanda – TV5 MONDE +

Jacqueline Kalimunda : Love in Rwanda | De l'amour au Rwanda – TV5 MONDE +

 

TV5 Monde streaming

[ENGLISH]

Love in Rwanda

Claudine, a businesswoman, navigates between several jobs in order to construct a life independent of men. Neza, who is the younger of the two, dreams of the ideal man. Between these two experiences are the desires and disappointments of women in Rwanda.

Directed by: Jacqueline Kalimunda

From 9 February: 

www.tv5monde.com/delamouraurwanda No longer accessible

Because they need to move forward and feel alive, Rwandans are looking for love.

Using dating site codes, "Love in Rwanda", is a romantic comedy about singles, couples and families who dream of a destiny of happiness in today's Rwanda.

As Valentine's Day approaches, eight characters, single or couples in search of love, talk about seduction. Music, flowers and whiskey, are Rwandans romantic?

For many Rwandans, money seems a necessary ingredient for a successful love life. But how does one seduce when one is broke? How does one deal with financially independent women?

Faced with the daily and intimate consequences of the genocide, Rwandans of the new generation dream of love. Everyone has her/his ideal: marriage, children or the Internet?

In six episodes on TV5MONDE +, one per day from 9 February 2017. SUBTITLED IN FRENCH.

[FRANÇAIS]

De l'amour au Rwanda

Claudine, femme d'affaires, navigue entre plusieurs emplois pour se construire une vie indépendante des hommes. Neza, plus jeune rêve de l'homme idéal. Entre ces deux expériences se révèlent les désirs et les désillusions des femmes au Rwanda.

Réalisation : Jacqueline Kalimunda

A partir du 9 février sur : www.tv5monde.com/delamouraurwanda

Parce qu’ils ont besoin d’aller de l’avant et de se sentir vivants, les Rwandais cherchent l’amour.

En utilisant les codes du site de rencontre, "De l'amour au Rwanda", est une comédie romantique qui parle de célibataires, de couples et de familles qui se rêvent un destin de bonheur au Rwanda aujourd’hui.

A l'approche de la Saint-Valentin, huit personnages célibataires ou couples en quête d'amour, parlent de séduction. Musique, fleurs et whiskey, les Rwandais sont-ils romantiques ? 

Pour beaucoup de Rwandais, l'argent semble un ingrédient nécessaire pour réussir sa vie amoureuse. Mais comment séduire quand on est fauché ? Comment se comporter face aux femmes financièrement indépendantes ?

Face aux conséquences quotidiennes et intimes du génocide, la nouvelle génération au Rwanda rêve d'amour. Chacun a son idéal : mariage, enfants ou Internet ?

En six épisodes à suivre sur TV5MONDE+, à raison de un par jour à partir du 9 février 2017 

FESPACO 2017: A Place For Myself by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

FESPACO 2017: A Place For Myself by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

Women at the 25th Edition |

Les femmes à la 25e édition

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

COMPETITION OFFICIELLE

FICTION: SHORT FILM | COURT MÉTRAGE

- Mention spéciale du jury | Special Mention of the Jury

- Prix spécial « Thomas Sankara »  de la Guilde africaine des Réalisateurs et producteurs

- Prix spécial « de la chance » de la LONAB

Synopsis

[English]

 A Place for Myself relates the story of Elikia, a five year old girl with albinism, who attends an ordinary elementary school. Due to her skin color her classmates make her realize that her being ‘different’ is more a problem than a special trait. While the neighborhood treats her as a stereotype, her mother encourages her. Together, they fight back and raise their voice to find a place for themselves.

At some point, every child dreams of being a superhero, wearing a cape; imagining a power to make these dreams a reality. Along the way, self-confidence and faith are lost, when the world reveals that there is a difference between ones self-perception and that which is called "normality". A Place for Myself is a reflection on difference. The goal is to inspire young people and to make them realize that human beings have a lot in common to focus on rather than just differences.

[Français]

Dans une école primaire quelconque, arrive une fille albinos âgée de cinq ans, Elikia. A cause de la couleur de sa peau, ses camarades de classe s’aperçoivent que sa différence est plus un problème qu’un caractère particulier. Tandis que son voisinage la considère comme un stéréotype, sa mère la soutient. Ensemble, elles réagissent et élèvent leurs voix pour trouver leur propre place.

Rwandan Clementine Dusabejambo winner of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2016 Golden Dhow for Best Short Film for “A Place for Myself"

Rwandan Clementine Dusabejambo winner of the Zanzibar International Film Festival 2016 Golden Dhow for Best Short Film for “A Place for Myself”.

Synopsis: A Place for Myself (2016), 21 min.

At a casual elementary school comes a five year old albino girl, Elikia. Due to her skin color her classmates make her realize that her being ‘different’ is more a problem than a special trait. While the neighborhood treats her as a stereotype, her mother encourages her. Together, they fight back and raise their voice to find a place for themselves.

Source: Text and Images

https://www.facebook.com/ZanzibarInternationalFilmFestival/?fref=nf

http://www.ziff.or.tz/2016/05/11/a-place-for-myself/