Nigeria has selected ‘Dear Ajayi’ as its official submission for the International Feature Film (IFF) category of the 2027 Academy Awards.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) voted for the film as the country’s entry into the international feature race.
Damilola Orimogunje produced and directed ‘Dear Ajayi’, which tells the story of two estranged sisters in 1990s Nigeria.
The sisters must live together while caring for their paralysed mother. One is a dutiful Christian, while the other is an aspiring singer with a defiant spirit.
Bimbo Akintola, Uzoamaka Power, Tosin Adeyemi and Baaj Adebule star in the film, among others.
The IFF Award recognises a feature-length film produced outside the United States. The film must also contain at least 50 per cent dialogue in a language or languages other than English.
However, NOSC’s selection does not guarantee ‘Dear Ajayi’ a place in the final Oscar race.
The IFF executive committee will further assess the film before the Academy can accept it or include it on the final nomination list.
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Nigeria did not submit a film for the 2026 Oscars. That marked the third time in five years that the country missed the international feature film race.
For the 2025 Oscars, Nigeria selected ‘Mai Martaba’, an epic Hausa film, as its entry.
Before then, ‘Mami Wata’ represented the country at the 96th Academy Awards.
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