The Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC) has called for entries from Nollywood filmmakers for the International Feature category of the 93rd Academy Awards.
With next year’s awards slated for April 25, 2021, the Academy Awards recently opened entries to honour the best new films released globally.
The Selection Committee is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to make submissions on behalf of the Nigerian film industry.
In a statement made available to TCN, the NOSC members for the 2021 Academy awards include Chineze Anyaene (Chairperson), Mahmood Ali-Balogun (Vice-Chairperson), Adetokunbo Odubawo, Bruce Ayonote, Charles Novia, Ego Boyo, Mildred Okwo, Moses Babatope, Omoni Oboli, Shuaibu Husseini, Victor Okhai and Yibo Koko.
According to the committee’s chairperson, Anyaene, the country’s botched first submission in 2019 represented a pivotal moment for the industry, as the committee has witnessed a rapid rise in the quality of Nigerian films, especially in storytelling.
Anyaene said: “We were able to make our first-ever entry submission to the Oscars for the International Feature Film Awards category as a country, and the awareness this has brought to the industry as a whole has been amazing. It has opened the industry to other markets, and we hope to see partnerships with other industries soon.”
Nigeria’s entry for last year’s Oscar was Genevieve Nnaji’s LionHeart, which was disqualified for not meeting the Academy’s important rule that entries to be considered for the International Film category must be “substantially shot in a foreign (non-English) language.”
Although LionHeart had a scattering of Igbo and Pidgin English in it, it failed to meet the required standard expected of a foreign language film.
For the next year’s award ceremony, the rule has been slightly ammended as it concerns theatrical releases of entries.
Untill further notice, the amended rule now shows that country selected films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available through a reputable commercial streaming distribution service or video on demand may qualify for awards consideration in the International Feature category.
Revealing the new rules for award participation, Anyaene stated that “due to guidelines and government-mandated rules to manage Coronavirus spread, filmmakers have to provide to the Academy documentation (original document(s) and an English translation) of government-mandated theater/cinema closure dates, previously planned theatrical release and steaming distribution or video on demand agreements.”
According to the selection committee, eligible films have to be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of the film’s official selection. Films that, in any version, receive a non-theatrical public exhibition or distribution before their first qualifying release will not be eligible for consideration.
Deadline for submission is set to close on October 2, 2020. Filmmakers are therefore encouraged to make their submissions by visiting the NOSC website for detailed guidelines.
