Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Clarissa and Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Ben’Imana have earned nominations at the 2026 Gotham Awards.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
Two African productions, Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Clarissa and Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Ben’Imana have earned nominations at the 2026 Gotham Awards, scheduled to take place in the United States on 30th November, 2026.
Clarissa, a co-production involving Nigeria and the United States, received four nominations across different categories, including Best Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay, recognising Chuko Esiri’s work on the screenplay adapted from Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs Dalloway. Also, British actress of Nigerian descent Sophie Okonedo earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance, while India Amartefio received a Breakthrough Performer nomination, with both acknowledged for their portrayals of the older and younger versions of the eponymous protagonist, respectively.
The film had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight segment of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Centrepiece programme. Set between Lagos and Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria and starring David Oyelowo and Ayo Edebiri, it follows an affluent middle-aged woman preparing for a social gathering where she will unexpectedly encounter once-intimate friends from her youth.
Similarly, Ben’Imana, a co-production involving Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway, and Ivory Coast, earned a Best International Feature nomination. The film explores the enduring consequences of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the complexities of justice, forgiveness and reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda.
Set in 2012, the film follows Vénéranda, a genocide survivor who participates in community-led justice and reconciliation initiatives, leading to conversations between survivors and the families of perpetrators. However, when she discovers that her daughter is unexpectedly pregnant, she is confronted with personal contradictions that challenge her convictions about forgiveness and the possibility of healing from the past.
Ben’Imana premiered in the United Certain Regard section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it also competed for the Caméra d’Or. It also had its North American Premiere in the Centrepiece segment of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, and competed in the First Feature Competition at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival. It was recently selected as the first ever Rwandan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
The 36th edition of the Gotham Awards will recognise achievements across 11 competitive categories, with nominations selected by committees composed of journalists, film critics, festival programmers and film curators. Winners will be announced at the ceremony in New York on 30th November, 2026.