Nigeria Picks Dear Ajayi for the 2027 Oscars

Article

Nigeria has chosen Damilola Orimogunje's Dear Ajayi as its official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards . The decision by the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) puts the family drama, led by Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi, into the race for the 2027 Oscars. The committee announced its choice after reviewing films entered during its call for submissions, which ran from August 1 to 31, 2026. The selection gives Dear Ajayi Nigeria's slot in the category, subject to the Academy's eligibility checks and voting. Nigeria returns to the category The selection marks Nigeria's return after it made no submission for the 2026 Oscars. According to The Guardian Nigeria, the committee received six entries for that edition, but a majority of members voted against putting any of them forward. Before that, Nigeria selected the Hausa-language film Mai Martaba for the 2025 awards. Dear Ajayi is now the latest film chosen to represent the country. Committee chair Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers. "We congratulate the filmmakers behind Dear Ajayi on their selection," she said. "We look forward to presenting the film for the Academy's consideration and wish the team every success in the next stage of the process," she told Arise News. What Dear Ajayi is about Written and directed by Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi follows two estranged sisters whose mother's illness forces them to share a home. Set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s, the story looks at the friction between family duty and personal choice. Ade, a devout Christian and the family's breadwinner, struggles to understand Titi, an aspiring singer whose ambitions clash with her expectations. Caring for their paralysed mother brings their disagreements into everyday life and forces them to face the resentment behind their separation. Bimbo Akintola plays Ade, Tosin Adeyemi plays Titi and veteran actress Lanre Hassan plays their mother. The film uses Yoruba, English and Igbo dialogue. A strong festival run The Nigeria-Germany co-production premiered at the Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), the independent programme held alongside the Venice International Film Festival. There it won the Premio Enrico Fulchignoni and the Premio Bisato d'Oro for Best Cast and Performances, before moving on to festivals in Rio and El Gouna. Entzopedia followed that journey in our report on the film's festival run . Its production partners include Nigeria's 2o9ine Films, Depth and Optics Productions and Zynox Productions, alongside Germany's Mayana Films. A busy month for Nigerian film The Oscar news lands in a strong period for Nollywood. In the same week, the faith-based sequel Agbara Nla: The Return delivered the biggest non-December opening in Nollywood history, as covered in our box office report . New film infrastructure also opened in Lagos and London, including EbonyLife Place in London . Why the category matters for Nollywood The International Feature category is one of the most visible routes for non-English-language cinema to reach a global audience. Even a shortlist place brings extra screenings, press coverage and interest from distributors. For Nigerian filmmakers, it is also a chance to show that the country's cinema goes far beyond the commercial comedies and dramas that dominate local box office charts. Dear Ajayi's multilingual script, its 1990s setting and its intimate family story give it a different profile from many recent Nigerian releases. Its festival prizes in Venice also mean it arrives in the race with critical support behind it, something Nigerian submissions have often lacked. What happens next The committee's endorsement is not an Oscar nomination. The Academy decides eligibility and runs the votes that decide which films advance. According to the Academy's timetable, preliminary voting runs from December 7 to 11, 2026, with the shortlist announced on December 15. Nomination voting is set for January 11 to 15, 2027, and nominees will be announced on January 21. The ceremony takes place on March 14, 2027. No Nigerian film has yet been nominated in the International Feature category, so a place on the December shortlist would be a landmark moment for the industry. Sources: The Guardian Nigeria | ThisDayLive | What Kept Me Up