Ema Edosio-Deelen set to direct film about Rwandan genocide 'Bisesero'

It's the first major feature about the tragic events in Rwanda in 1994.

Nigerian director Ema Edosio-Deelen is set to direct the pan-African Rwanda genocide drama titled Bisesero: A Daughter’s Story.

Deelen is known for her work on Kasala (2018), The Governor (2016) and Otiti which screened at AFRIFF 2022. Now, she makes a different turn with this international project which cuts across the African continent. The director is said to have co-written the script with award-winning Rwandan director and screenwriter Joël Karekezi.

In a post on social media, Deelen shares the news, describing how dear the project is to her and further charging the move for more of such African stories. She said, "Being part of this pan-African project feels like living a dream. It's not just a movie; it's a piece of our heart, our culture, our untold stories. Let's keep amplifying our African voices!".

In an exclusive with Deadline, the producers shared that Bisesero: A Daughter’s Story will recount the true story of the Bisesero Resistance which occurred between April 7 to July 15, 1994. The 100-day ordeal is said to have witnessed over 10 thousand Tutsi led by an elder called Aminadabu Birara (played by Wale Ojo), fighting off the Hutu attackers.

His daughter Epiphanie, played by Ugandan actress Tracy Kababiito, joins her father in the fight against the armed forces trying to destroy them.

Nigerian actor Ojo revealed that he counts it an honour to play Aminadabu Birara, considering how familiar he is with the tragedy called genocide. He expressed, "Just like the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, my own country Nigeria faced a genocide between 1967 and 1970, that killed over 1,000,000 people."

He also spoke on the lack of documentation about the Nigerian genocides by our film industry. "And to my sadness, to this day, there is no definitive and successful film about the Nigerian genocide. It is important for Africans to tell our stories,” he said.

African acts Tracy Kababiito, Wale Ojo and Isabelle Kabano will star in Bisesero: A Daughter’s Story [Deadline]

According to records of the actual ordeal, between 500,000 to 800,000 people belonging to the Tutsi minority ethnic group as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa were killed by armed Hutu militias.

Emmy Award-winning Richard Hall takes the producer seat for Bisesero: A Daughter’s Story. Co-producers include Rwanda’s Karekezi and Yvette Rugasaguhunga.

We await more details on the story and its possible release date.