Eliane Umuhire

Eliane Umuhire is a Rwandan-born actress based in France. Her artistic career explores themes of identity, memory and resilience. Her work has been featured in films presented at prestigious international festivals, where she has won awards for her acting and social commitment. Notably acclaimed for her role in the Polish film Birds Are Singing in Kigali by Krzystof Krauze & Joanna Kos, Eliane has been honored with Best Actress awards at festivals such as the Chicago International Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Gdynia Polish Fiction Festival, the Polish Festival in New York, the Let's CEE Festival in Vienna, as well as the Mastercard Rising Star award at the Netia Off Camera independent film festival.

Recent projects include Baloji's Omen, awarded at Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 2023, Saul Williams' feature film Neptune Frost presented at the Directors' Fortnight in 2021, the Netflix film Trees of Peace by Alanna Brown, and the BAFTA-nominated short film Bazigaga directed by Jo Igabire Moys, which won her acting awards at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur. Eliane is also active on television, notably in the series Haven of Grace, broadcast on Arte. She will soon be starring in Planète B, directed by Aude Léa Rapin, alongside Adele Exarchopoulus, and Souheila Yacoub. She will also appear in the spin-off A Quiet Place: Day One alongside Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn and Djimon Hounsou.

Filmography

 * 2024: A Quiet Place: Day One, as Zena
 * 2024: My new friends, as Mosanne
 * 2024: Planète B, as Hermès
 * 2023: Omen, as Tshala
 * 2022: Bazigaga, as Bazigaga
 * 2022: Trees of Peace, as Annick
 * 2021: Neptune Frost, as Memory
 * 2017: Birds Are Singing in Kigali, as Claudine Mugambira
 * 2015: Things of the aimless wanderer, as Bartender
 * 2012: Behind the Word, as Colette's mother

Awards

 * 2017: Best Actress, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF)
 * 2017: Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress, Chicago International Film Festival for Birds Are Singing in Kigali
 * 2017: Best Actress at the Gdynia Polish Feature Film Festival
 * 2018: MasterCard Rising Star at International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Camera for Birds Are Singing in Kigali
 * 2018: Elzbieta Czyzewska award for best performance, at the New York Polish Film Festival
 * 2018: Let's CEE Award Best Acting Performance
 * 2021: Best Ensemble Cast, Trees of Peace, at the Rising sun International Film Festival
 * 2022: Best performance award, Namur International Francophone Films Festival
 * 2023: Best Actress at Clermont Ferrand International Short film festival