Ben’Imana

Rwanda, 2012. The country is emerging from an era of silence after the 1994 Tutsi genocide, and people’s courts are being set up with the aim of bringing justice and reconciliation. Veneranda, a survivor, is convinced of the need for these trials. Despite pressures, she organises discussion sessions between victims and the families of the executioners.

Therapy for some, an act of betrayal for others, these testimonial sessions revive and reveal the traumas that each of them try to overcome, in their own way. The wounds of Veneranda’s past are exposed again when she learns of her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy and the identity of the father. Veneranda has to face her own contradictions and the dark parts of her past.

Sørfond Support in 2025

Ben'Imana was supported in 2025 with 700 000 NOK. 

Jury Statement: 

Benimama is a compelling intergenerational drama that examines the quiet aftershocks of trauma within a Rwandan community. Benimama has deep emotional clarity and precision. The script handles silence, generational grief, and unspoken tension with restraint and purpose. Benimama offers a powerful and specific look at the personal cost of collective trauma. It shows how reconciliation is not a final act but an ongoing negotiation – one that plays out in kitchens, glances, and ruptured routines. It is an honest, layered narrative that resonates far beyond its setting.