The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that the cancellation of its plan towards Nigeria's participation at the 2022 Oscars.
This was made known by NOSC Chairperson, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi in a letter to the AMPAS, disclosing that the committee could not proceed with the selection process, citing major concerns as films received fail the eligibility test.
“After a series of deliberations by the Committee members, we regret to announce that there won’t be a submission of films to represent the country for the 94th Academy Awards. This is due to the fact that the films received so far for screening failed the eligibility rule test set by the Academy.”
Anyaene-Abonyi added that the NOSC is determined to ensure that the films represent the country at the 94th Academy Awards in the International Feature Film (IFF) category, meeting all eligibility and technical requirements for the competition.
The 94th Oscars is scheduled to hold on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The Awards requires films to be meet certain criteria including accurate English subtitles, streaming, or theatrical release for at least seven consecutive days in Nigeria between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, before submission.
Anyaene-Abonyi further said Nollywood will be better prepared for subsequent editions of the Oscars, adding that filmmakers need to learn more about the AMPAS rules.
Nigeria made her first submission at the Academy in 2020 with "The Milkmaid", passing the eligibility rule test before being dropped at the first shortlist category.
