Nigeria’s Oscars committee seeks entries for 97th Academy Awards

The Nigerian Official Selection Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has called on filmmakers in the country to submit their feature films for consideration in the International Feature Film category of the 97th annual Academy Awards, fondly called the Oscars.

The NOSC, accredited by AMPAS, is responsible for choosing Nigeria’s official entry for the IFF award.

In a statement sent to According Online on Monday, the IFF stated that the submission portal will go live on August 1, 2024, and will remain open until August 30, 2024.

The IFF award is a dedicated category for feature-length motion pictures produced outside the United States, and which contains 50 per cent or more of dialogue in a language or languages other than English.

The academy stipulates that submitted films must meet specific criteria, including providing accurate, legible English subtitles, adherence to particular shooting formats, and evidence of theatrical release.

Meanwhile, the NOSC also announced the addition of new members into its fold, including the Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Ali Nuhu; producer and Director, Blessing Egbe; an actress, Ijeoma Agu; co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Filmhouse Cinemas, Kene Okwuosa; and a journalist, author, and film critic, Victor Akande.

The returning members of the committee include actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus, who leads the team; President of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria, Victor Okhai; actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde; former DGN President, Andy Amenechi; theatre practitioner, Yibo Koko; writer and director, Izu Ojukwu; filmmaker, Emem Isong; director, Dimeji Ajibola; writer/director, Jude Idada; filmmaker, John Njamah; and actress, Meg Otanwa.

Linus stated that the new members were from diverse creative backgrounds, and would invariably enhance the process of selecting the best film from Nigeria.

The NOSC was constituted in 2012 by filmmaker, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, and she served as the chairperson until 2023 when she handed over to Linus.

The committee submitted the first film for the global awards in 2019. Titled ‘Lionheart’, the film, which was directed by popular actress and filmmaker, Genevieve Nnaji, was eventually disqualified on account of not meeting the requirement of 50 per cent non-English dialogue.

In 2021, the movie titled, ‘Milkmaid’ became the first Nigerian film to be in the reckoning for the IFF category. However, it did not make the final cut for that year’s edition.

In 2023, the committee submitted the film, ‘Mami Wata’, which was directed by CJ Obasi, for the IFF category, but it did not make the eventual list of nominees.

The 97th Oscars ceremony is set for March 2, 2025, broadcasting live from the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.