Nigeria isn’t “international” enough for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, apparently.
The nation’s first Oscar submission for best international film has been disqualified by the awarding group on the grounds that the majority of the dialogue is in English โ which is Nigeria’s official language.
“Lionheart” premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and was Netflix’s first Nollywood acquisition. The 95-minute movie contains only about 10 minutes of Nigeria’s Igbo language, the .
In order to be eligible for the golden statuette, the Academy rules that entries, in addition to being made outside the US, must have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track,” as with this year’s British contender “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” which is mostly in the Chichewa language.
This is the first year the Academy’s global category is titled “international feature film,” an update made to the previous “foreign language” name earlier this year. “Lionheart,” would’ve been most likely to win in the international category, the but it could still technically qualify to be submitted to a different category.
The film stars and is directed by Nollywood superstar Genevieve Nnaji. The plot revolves around a woman’s struggle to control her family’s transportation company after her father steps down due to health issues โ and hands the reigns to his eccentric brother.
There has been much online backlash to the Academy’s decision.
“We did not choose who colonized us,” . “As ever, this film and many like it, is proudly Nigerian.”
“When They See Us” filmmaker Ava DuVernay also : “Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language?”
This is not the first time the no-English rule has made foreign films ineligible. Afghanistan’s 2015 entry “Utopia,” and Israel’s 2007 “The Band’s Visit,” were both rejected on the same grounds.
