The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has chosen Dear Ajayi, directed by Damilola Orimogunje, as the country’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. The selection marks Nigeria’s return to the category after it made no submission for the previous edition.
About the film
Dear Ajayi is a Nigeria-Germany co-production set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s. It stars Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi. The film had its world premiere at Venice Days, a section that runs alongside the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Premio Enrico Fulchignoni and the Premio Bisato d’Oro for Best Cast and Performances. It has since screened at festivals in Rio de Janeiro and El Gouna.
Orimogunje previously directed For Maria Ebun Pataki, a widely praised drama about postpartum depression, and is regarded as one of the most distinctive voices among Nigeria’s newer filmmakers.
Key points
- Film: Dear Ajayi, directed by Damilola Orimogunje.
- Category: Best International Feature Film, 99th Academy Awards.
- Cast: Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi.
- Festival honours: two awards at Venice Days.
- Next step: the Academy’s 15-film shortlist is due in December.
The road ahead
Background
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee reviews eligible films each year and must submit a feature with predominantly non-English dialogue that has been released theatrically within the qualifying window. Yoruba and other Nigerian languages have therefore become central to the country’s Oscar ambitions. Members of the committee have said they look for films with strong craft and festival potential.
Nigeria has never received a nomination in the international feature category. Its first submission, Lionheart in 2019, was disqualified because most of its dialogue was in English, and later entries such as The Milkmaid and Eyimofe did not make the shortlist. With festival recognition already in hand, supporters hope Dear Ajayi can go further. Final nominations will be announced in January.
Photo: Unsplash (illustrative).
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