The Nigerian film industry, Nollywood is agog with the news that Nigeria may be submitting a movie for the International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy awards in 2023.
According to the cheering news, the International Feature Film Executive Committee of @TheAcademy has intervened in the issue regarding the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) and an extension has been granted for a final determination by the Nigeria Oscar Selection Committee.
Delivering the news on his social media page, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, one of the members of the NOSC who resigned over the decision by the committee not to submit any movie, said he was willing to temporarily return “for the purpose of making a final determination regarding a submission to the IFF category for the 95th Academy Awards”.
Recall that the chairperson of the NOSC, Mrs. Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, hadwritten to the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences(AMPAS), expressing regret that the Committee could not, find a film suitable for the award.
In her letter, the Chairperson noted that, “Although the committee received three epic films following its call for submissions in August, it turned out that none of them will advance to the next stage owing to the voting patterns of members.”
The IFF category of the Oscars, is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains 50 percent or more of non-English dialogue.
Read what Dr. Husseini wrote:
“Dear All,
I have just been informed that the International Feature Film Executive Committee of @TheAcademy has intervened in the issue regarding the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC). I note that an extension has been granted for a final determination by the Nigeria Oscar Selection Committee
I also note the IFF Committee’s directive that ‘the ENTIRE approved NOSC will be required to ALL reconvene and make a final determination’.
Though I resigned my membership of the NOSC because I felt, among other reasons, that we did not reach a CONSENSUS on the ‘nil submission’, I will be more than willing to temporarily withdraw my resignation if only for the purpose of making a final determination regarding a submission to the IFF category for the 95th Academy Awards.
I remain Yours in the true service of Nigeria and the massive Film Industry”
