Nigeria Official Selection Committee (For the Academy Awards International Feature Film Submissions) has confirmed that the Academy will now consider movies with dialogue in pidgin English.
NOSC chairperson, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, revealed that the committee achieved this feat after several months of being in communication with the Academy as well as visits to Los Angeles, United States of America.
Anyaene confirmed this in a press statement containing details of the timeline of the committee’s progress.
The press statement reads: “The request for approval started in December 2019, after which Anyaene visited the Academy’s office in Los Angeles in February 2020 following a meeting scheduled between herself and representatives of the International Feature Film Executives.
“She added that the outcome of that meeting was wider consultation with the IFF executives; ensuring approval is benchmarked and consistent with their screening matrix.”
The press statement further revealed that the committee was solely responsible for achieving this new feat for Nollywood contrary to reports circulating in the media.
It said: “Anyaene has then been having a series of conversations with the Academy to secure quicker approval as the 93rd Oscars an award was already knocking. This was a major concern for her recall of the NOSC 2019 submission of ‘LionHeart’, which was disqualified primarily for not satisfying the language requirement.
“This approval as secured by the NOSC is a new feat for the industry and It is untrue if any other individual or entity claims such achievement as this is beyond mere writing to the Academy without knowing the approval intricacies.”
Meanwhile, NOSC will now consider extending the submission deadline, which ended at 11:59pm on October 2, 2020.
This, according to the press statement, will allow over five filmmakers with Pidgin English films to submit their films.
The 93rd Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee members include Chineze Anyaene (Chairperson), Mahmood Ali-Balogun (Vice-Chairperson), Adetokunbo Odubawo, Bruce Ayonote, Charles Novia, Ego Boyo, Mildred Okwo, Moses Babatope, Omoni Oboli, Shuaibu Husseini, Victor Okhai and Yibo Koko.