This year’s edition of “Women In Cinema” spotlights six filmmakers, including three prominent African voices: Laïla Marrakchi, Genevieve Nnaji and Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
The Red Sea Film Foundation returns to Cannes with its annual “Women In Cinema” gala, in honour of distinguished women filmmakers from Africa, Asia and the Arab world. This year’s edition spotlights six filmmakers, including three prominent African voices: Laïla Marrakchi, Genevieve Nnaji, and Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo.
Moroccan filmmaker Laïla Marrakchi continues her long-standing Cannes connection with the premiere of her new film, Strawberries. The film centres on women working abroad who find themselves confronted with harsh labour conditions and exploitation.
Marrakchi, who left Casablanca for Paris, France at 18, gained International recognition with her debut feature Marock (2005), which screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Her profile also includes directorial credits on projects such as Damien Chazelle’s The Eddy (2020) for Netflix and several French productions.
Hailing from Nigeria is Genevieve Nnaji, an actress, producer and a leading voice in African cinema. Nnaji is widely considered a pioneer of Nollywood’s global expansion, particularly courtesy of her directorial debut Lionheart (2019), which was acquired by Netflix as the first Netflix Original film from Nigeria and selected as Nigeria’s first-ever submission for the Academy Awards (Oscars) Best International Feature Film category.
Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo also joins the Cannes 2026 lineup with her debut feature Ben’Imana, a drama set in post-genocide Rwanda. The film is part of a wider selection presented in the Un Certain Regard section alongside titles such as Marrakchi’s Strawberries and Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy (Central African Republic).
Dusabejambo, who began her filmmaking journey in 2008, has previously earned recognition, including a 2011 Tribeca Film Institute script development award and Bronze Tanit honours at the Carthage Film Festival in 2012 and 2018.