Inès Girihirwe is not just a filmmaker; she’s a storyteller crafting spaces for the unheard, the silenced, and the quietly resilient. As Rwanda’s film scene rises from the ashes of history and into international relevance, Girihirwe stands out with a voice rooted in empathy, realism, and social reflection. Spanning fiction, documentary, and experimental film, she is reshaping not only what Rwandan cinema can be—but who it can speak for.
Born and raised in Kigali, Inès discovered her love for storytelling early on. As Rwanda’s film industry evolved, she pursued formal studies in filmmaking, grounding her cinematic language in personal, character-driven narratives. Her early work was nurtured through Power in Constraints, a Rwandan initiative equipping emerging filmmakers to produce high-impact shorts with limited resources.
Her emergence aligns with a new wave of African filmmakers—especially women—reclaiming narrative power. For Girihirwe, the goal has always been truth, not fame.
Her 13-minute drama Breaking Ground follows Anna, a woman navigating emotional abuse and finding solace in female solidarity. Rather than a dramatic rescue, Girihirwe chose quiet resilience as her narrative compass.
World Premiere: AFI Fest 2020 as part of the Short Film Competition
Awards & Screenings: Ousmane Sembène Award, Zanzibar IFF 2021; European premiere March 2025
Style: Critics applauded its unhurried pacing and feminist resonance, allowing silence and nuance to drive emotion.
Recent Projects (2024)
Inès remains active both in front of and behind the camera:
Things in the Psyche of an Awake Dreamer
Year: 2024
Length: ~17 minutes
Role: Producer & Narrator
Synopsis: A young female filmmaker mourns her grandmother and confronts grief and career doubts during an introspective trip across Europe.
Festival: Premiered October 2024 at Uppsala Short Film Festival
A Wingless Bird That Flies
Year: 2024
Format: Fiction short
Role: Producer
Budget: Approximately €500
Current Status: Completed; limited festival/publicity exposure so far.
Kazi Productions: Building Rwanda’s Creative Future
Co-founded in 2022 with filmmakers like Remy Ryumugabe, Kazi Productions in Kigali fosters Rwanda’s creative ecosystem. The studio produces fiction, documentary, and hybrid works. Inès actively contributes both creatively and strategically to this rising hub.
As of July 2025, Ines Girihirwe co-produced Murmurs from the wind with Remy RYUMUGABE. Kazi productions also have ongoing projects in different stages of productions.
Given her consistent output and influence, it’s highly likely new work is underway. Keeping an eye on Kazi Productions’s official channels and IMDb Pro listings is the best way to catch her next announcement.
Inès’s filmmaking is defined by:
Women’s inner lives: Centering nuanced, often overlooked narratives.
Quiet intimacy: Letting silence and setting carry emotional weight.
Minimalism: Tight casts, natural environments, honest dialogue.
Social depth: Exploring gender-based violence, grief, teenage motherhood, societal lockdown—all with artistic integrity.
Her characters may falter, but they breathe, grow, and resonate. Inès crafts cinema that listens before it speaks.
Inès Girihirwe’s work proves that cinema doesn’t need spectacle to impact. Through subtle, deeply human stories, she opens doors for African women’s narratives to flourish globally. While she prefers a quiet presence, her films speak loudly—and her influence continues to ripple through Rwandan and African cinema.
