 |
| Image:Facebook |
Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi has been chosen to represent Nigeria in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards scheduled for March 2027.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee announced the film’s selection after reviewing entries submitted during its month-long submission window between August 1 and 31, 2026.
The decision gives Dear Ajayi an opportunity to compete for a place on the international stage, although its selection as Nigeria’s entry does not automatically make it an Oscar nominee.
The film must first pass the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ eligibility checks before entering the voting process.
The Academy is expected to select 15 films for the International Feature Film shortlist during preliminary voting. From that group, five productions will eventually secure nominations in the category.
NOSC chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers and expressed confidence in their work as it progresses through the next phase of the Oscars race.
Dear Ajayi marks Nigeria’s return to the Academy Awards process after the country failed to submit an entry for the previous edition. The latest selection also adds another chapter to Nigeria’s growing history of participation in the International Feature Film category.
Nigeria’s most recent submission before Dear Ajayi was Mai Martaba, a Hausa-language production directed by Amina Abdullahi Sanda.
The film was selected for the 97th Academy Awards but, despite appearing on the Academy’s list of eligible submissions, did not advance to the final shortlist.
Before Mai Martaba, C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata represented Nigeria at the 96th Academy Awards, while Desmond Ovbiagele’s The Milkmaid was submitted for the 93rd edition.
Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart was Nigeria’s first submission to the Oscars. However, the film was later disqualified after the Academy ruled that the majority of its dialogue was in English.
Written and directed by Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is a Nigeria-Germany collaboration set in southwestern Nigeria during the 1990s. The story focuses on two sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, whose lives become intertwined again as they take responsibility for their paralysed mother.
Ade is portrayed as a committed Christian and the main provider for the family, while Titi is an aspiring musician whose determination to pursue her own path creates tension within the family.
Their forced reunion exposes unresolved disagreements and painful memories. As the sisters navigate their mother's condition, they are confronted with issues surrounding loss, family expectations, personal ambition, forgiveness and reconciliation.
The movie features dialogue in Yoruba, English and Igbo. Its cast includes Bimbo Akintola, Tosin Adeyemi and Lanre Hassan, alongside William Benson, Antar Laniyan, Uzoamaka Power, Michelle Dede and Chioma “Chigul” Omeruah.
The film has already gained international exposure. Dear Ajayi was selected for the competition section of Giornate degli Autori, an independent programme held alongside the Venice International Film Festival. It is also expected to screen at Film Africa in London on October 30.
Under Academy rules, an International Feature Film must run for more than 40 minutes, be produced outside the United States and contain more than 50 per cent non-English dialogue. It must also satisfy requirements relating to theatrical exhibition and English subtitles.
The Academy is expected to unveil its Oscar shortlists on December 15, 2026, before nominations are announced on January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 14, 2027.
#ViralContent
#ExclusiveUpdate
No comments:
Post a Comment