Oscars 2023: NOSC Decide On ‘No Submission’ As Nigerian Films Fail Eligibility Criteria

(NOSC) Nigeria’s Official Selection Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has announced that Nigeria will not be fielding any candidates in the International Feature Film category at the 2023 Oscars.

This is the second year in a row the non-eligibility verdict is being passed but this time around no film managed to make it past the first selection stage. According to the committee, none of the films were eligible to represent the country at the International Feature Film category. The three finalist films were; Elesin Oba:The King’s Horseman by the late Biyi Bandele, Anikulapo by Kunle Afolayan and Femi Adebayo’s Agesinkole (King of Thieves).

In a statement made by Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, the chairperson of the committee, none of the films submitted for considerations were eligible hence wouldn’t be advancing to the next stage of the selection process, advising filmmakers to get more acquainted with the eligibility requirements.

“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.

Nigerian films have, no doubt, improved significantly as the awareness of the requirements has since grown among filmmakers and potentially soon, we just might be bringing the award home in succession.

Our filmmakers are (however) implored to get more acquainted with Oscar-nominated films in the IFF(International Feature Film) category to achieve the needed international recognition and put our films in its acclaimed level of creative discourse.”

The 15-man committee met on 3rd September to cast their votes for the selection round. Of the 15 members, 8 votes were ‘Null’, 5 votes were in favor of Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, 1 vote was in favor of Anikulapo, and 1 vote was in favor of Adeginsoke (King of Thieves)

NOSC’s non-eligibility verdict will be the second in a row as the last time the committee submitted an Oscar contender was in 2020 with Desmond Obviagele’s The Milkmaid.