Pink Asparagus

By Maggie Roberts

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE!

Ben’Imana (Dusabejambo) reflects on the atrocities of the 1994 Rawandan Genocide through the eyes of women. The 2026 Caméra d’Or winner follows Vénéranda, a survivor of the genocide, as she organizes reconciliation meetings amongst Rawandan women in her village, formerly classified as Tutsi and Hutu via colonial doctrine. However, the film actively rejects these violent ethnic categorizations, and instead focuses on the shared, yet unique wounds experienced by the women. Simultaneous to the village’s attempt to forgive and heal, community tribunals are held to hold those who raped and murdered accountable. The film is made up of an almost entirely female cast and refuses to recreate or sensationalize these crimes. Instead, we hear about the genocide through the witnessing and words of women, drawing on oral traditions. While this is a fiction film, these accounts are taken directly from director Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s conversations with Rwandan women. The film poetically tells two symbiotic tales: that of a mother and daughter, and that of mothers and daughters.

Ben’Imana screens at TIFF on September 15, 16 and 19. The film is projected to hit Canadian theatres in 2027.