Nigeria submitted a film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film[nb 1] for the first time in 2019.[3] However, on 4 November 2019, the Academy disqualified Nigeria's entry, as the majority of the film's dialogue is in English.[4] However, the following year, the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee announced that AMPAS would allow films that are primarily in Pidgin English to be eligible for submission.[5]

The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[6] It was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.[7]

Submissions

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956.[7] The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.[6] Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Nigeria for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.

In 2022, Nigeria's Oscar Selection Committee announced they received three Yoruba-language submissions: Aníkúlápó, Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman and King of Thieves. They determined they would not enter because a majority of the selection committee voted that all three films were "non-eligible."[8]

Year
(Ceremony)		 Film title used in nomination Language(s) Director Result
2019
(92nd) 		Lionheart[9] English, Igbo Genevieve Nnaji Disqualified[10]
2020
(93rd) 		The Milkmaid[11] Hausa Desmond Ovbiagele Not nominated
2023
(96th) 		Mami Wata[12] West African Pidgin English C.J. Obasi Not nominated

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The category was previously named the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in April 2019, after the Academy deemed the word "Foreign" to be outdated.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Genevieve Nnaji's Lionheart becomes Nigeria's first-ever Oscar entry". The Cable Lifestyle. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Lionheart: Nigeria's Oscar choice disqualified over English dialogue". BBC News. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. ^ Nwogu, Precious (17 October 2020). "NOSC confirms Oscars' approval of Pidgin English as foreign language". Pulse. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  7. ^ a b "History of the Academy Awards - Page 2". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  8. ^ "Oscar Awards Claims No Nigerian Film Eligible, Snubs The King's Horseman, Anikulapo, King Of Thieves". Nollytrailers.com. 20 September 2022.
  9. ^ Agbro, Joe Jr. (2 October 2019). "Genevieve Nnaji's Lionheart is Nigeria's submission for the Oscar". The Nation. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Academy Disqualifies Nigeria's Oscar Entry 'Lionheart'". The Wrap. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Desmond Ovbiagele's 'The Milkmaid' is Nigeria's submission for 2021 Oscars". Vanguard. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  12. ^ Melanie Goodfellow (17 October 2023). "Oscars: Nigeria Submits CJ Obasi's Sundance Title 'Mami Wata' For Best International Feature Film". Deadline. Retrieved 27 October 2023.

External links

Academy Award for Best International Feature Film submissions
Academy Awards
Categories