The Nigerian Official Selection Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a call for entries from Nigerian filmmakers, inviting them to submit their feature films for consideration in the International Feature Film category of the 97th annual Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.
In a statement released on Monday, the committee said it would choose a movie that would be Nigeria’s official entry for the International Feature Film (IFF) Award at the Oscars.
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.
According to the statement, the submissions portal would be open from August 1, 2024, to August 30, 2024.
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.
The NOSC was constituted in 2012 by filmmaker, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, and she served as the chairperson until 2023 when she handed over to Actress and Producer, Stephanie Linus.
The first film that was submitted by committee for the global awards was 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.
‘Milkmaid’ topped the list 2021, and 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 film, ‘Mami Wata’, directed by CJ Obasi, was submitted for the IFF category, but it did not make the eventual list of nominees.
The 97th Oscars ceremony is scheduled to hold on March 2, 2025, broadcasting live from the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
