Nigeria Picks Dear Ajayi for 2027 Oscars International Feature Category

The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has picked Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi as Nigeria’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

The committee made the announcement after looking at films submitted during its month-long call for entries from 1 to 31 August.

Dear Ajayi is now in the running for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of the 99th Oscars, set for 14 March 2027 in Los Angeles.

But this selection does not mean the film is nominated yet. The Academy will check the film’s eligibility alongside entries from other countries. Voting will then decide the 15-film shortlist and the final five nominees.

NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers. She expressed the committee’s support as the production moves into the next stage.

“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 said.

This selection marks Nigeria’s return to the Oscars after the country did not submit a film for the 98th Academy Awards.

In 2025, the NOSC review committee mentioned that none of the films they looked at showed the needed level of “creative and technical intentionality.”

The committee opened submissions for the 99th Academy Awards on 1 August. Nigerian filmmakers, producers, and rights holders had until 31 August to submit their eligible works through its portal.

NOSC is recognized by the Academy as the group that chooses Nigeria’s official entry in the International Feature Film category. The committee has handled Nigeria’s participation in this category since 2019.

Each year, a country can submit only one film through its Academy-approved selection committee.

Written and directed by Mr Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is a Nigeria-Germany co-production. The film is set in southwestern Nigeria during the 1990s.

The family drama tells the story of Ade and Titi Ajayi, two sisters who are not on good terms. They are forced to live together and take care of their paralyzed mother.

Ade is a devout Christian and the family’s breadwinner. She struggles to understand Titi, an aspiring singer who wants to live her own life, challenging family expectations.

Their reunion brings up old issues, forcing both women to face their grief, family history, and different dreams that drove them apart.

The film features Yoruba, English, and Igbo dialogue. It explores themes like family responsibility, faith, ambition, sacrifice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

The cast includes Bimbo Akintola as Ade, Tosin Adeyemi as Titi, and Lanre Hassan as their mother. Other actors include William Benson, Antar Laniyan, Uzoamaka Power, Michelle Dede, and Chioma “Chigul” Omeruah.

The film was part of the competition section at the 2026 Giornate degli Autori, an independent program that runs with the Venice International Film Festival. It is also set to be shown at Film Africa in London on 30 October.

According to the Academy’s rules, an international feature must be over 40 minutes long, produced outside the United States, and have more than 50 percent non-English dialogue.

Nigerian Pidgin English counts as a non-English language under these rules.

Entries also need to have clear English subtitles. They must complete a cinema run of at least seven days at one venue before being released on TV, streaming services, or online.

If a film has already been on TV or streaming, it could be ineligible for the theatrical-release requirement.

For the 99th Academy Awards, the Academy added a new qualification route for international feature films.

Under this new rule, a film not submitted through its country's selection committee or that does not meet the regular theatrical-release requirement can still qualify independently by winning a specific award at an approved international film festival.

Qualifying festivals include Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Toronto, and Busan.

Nigeria has not received a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category so far.

Its first entry, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, was disqualified from the 2020 Oscars because the Academy said most of its dialogue was in English.

Desmond Ovbiagele’s The Milkmaid was Nigeria’s entry for the 93rd Academy Awards but did not make it to the 15-film shortlist. Mai Mataiba also lost out in the 2025 Oscar race.