Nigeria’s hopes of winning an elusive Oscars might have been rekindled by the decision of the Nigeria Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC) to reopen its portal for the submission of films made in Pidgin English.
The Committee had previously closed the portal on October 2 but following the recent approval of Pidgin English as a foreign language by the International Features section of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Oscars), it has reconsidered its stance.
Committee chair, Chineze Anyaene, explained in a statement that, “The NOSC had a tough choice to make between the risk of not submitting a film for the 93rd Oscars or to reopen the submission portal. But, after critical deliberations, the committee has decided to reopen the portal to provide filmmakers an extended time to submit their work and their supporting documents.
“The year has been a very peculiar one, and no one was prepared for what we are currently witnessing. The aim is to have a well-rounded and worthy representation at the Oscars.”
Consequently, movies like EbonyLife’s ‘Oloture’ and Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Citation’, both with substantial dialogue in Pidgin, now stand the chance of being chosen to represent Nigeria on the global stage if they are submitted.
Incidentally, both are Netflix Originals and might well go head to head to be Nigeria’s representative.
While ‘Oloture’ was released on the global streaming platform in early October, ‘Citation’ is set for release Friday, November 6.
The NOSC’s decision to reopen the submission platform until 23:59 GMT+1 of November 3 will also afford other interested Nigerian filmmakers the opportunity to submit their works.
Prior to the acceptance of Pidgin English by the Oscars, submissions received by the Committee, according to its chair, had yet to meet all eligibility rules.
Nigeria’s first-ever Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film, Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lion Heart’ was disqualified by the Academy last year. Explaining its disqualification, the Oscars disclosed in a mail that the movie did not have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track”, a crucial eligibility requirement. The 95-minute film is mainly in English, with an 11-minute section in the Igbo language.
