Nollywood isn’t making it to the Oscars next year!
Various reactions have trailed Kunle Afolayan’s statement concerning the selection of his film Anikulapo (presently streaming on Netflix) for the Oscar Awards. He stated in an Instagram post “I am so pleased and delighted that the whole world has decided to tag ANIKULAPO film a masterpiece even though the Nigeria Oscar selection committee thinks it’s not worth submitting for the Oscars. Will keep doing my own thing.”
Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) is an organization whose mission is to recognize and celebrate the art of cinemas by showcasing Nigerian films and filmmakers to the Academy Awards and competing with other countries of the world for the Oscars award for the category of the best international feature.
The 15-member Nigerian Committee include; Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, Mildred Okwo, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Izu Ojokwu, Kenneth Gyang, Moses Babatope, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Ego Boyo, Meg Otanwa, John Njamah, Yibo Koko, Odubawo Adetokunbo, Stephanie Linus, Shaibu Husseni, and Bruce Ayonote.
Recently, the selection committee revealed that no Nigerian feature film will be submitted for the international category at the 2023 Oscars. Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman had 5 votes, Anikulapo had just one vote, same with Ageshinkole: The King of Thieves. The non-submission of Nigerian films is taking place for the second consecutive year after the last submission “The Milkmaid” (Based on the story of a Fulani Milkmaid who searches for her young sister amid a violent conflict) was made in 2020.
Remember, that Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart was also disqualified in 2019 for not meeting the non-English dialogue criteria. According to the Oscars, an international feature film is a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track.
According to the chairman of the committee, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, she stated; “Nigerian films had, no doubt, improved significantly as the awareness of the requirements has since grown among filmmakers, and potentially soon, we just might be bringing this award home in succession.” The report has it that some members of the committee stated that they can’t defend the decision not to submit a film, especially with Nigerian films doing well on various distribution platforms.
Afterwards, filmmaker Mildred Okwo resigned from the committee to move on and serve the industry in other ways including journalist Shaibu Husseini, who wished other members of the committee well in their quest to serve the industry well.
Presently, we can only hope that our filmmakers keep stepping up their game and remain unfazed in their resolve to take Nollywood to the world, probably another time the committee will submit films that meet up with the criteria and hopefully the Oscar Awards will come home.
#UPDATED brings you lists, roundups, and the latest news on the hottest topics. This edition features a review of the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee’s rejection of three Nigerian film submissions against the 2023 Oscar Awards.
