The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has announced that no Nigerian film will be submitted for the 2022 Oscars.
In a letter written to the Academy and signed by NOSC chairperson, Chineze Anyaene, she revealed that selection process had halted following issues bordering on eligibility.
“After a series of deliberations by the Committee members, we regret to announce that there won’t be a submission of a film 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 stated.
“The Committee is committed to ensuring that the film which would eventually represent the country at the 94th Academy Awards in the International Feature Film category meets all eligibility rules and technical requirements for the competition.”
Having successfully submitted two entries for the annual award, this will be the first time all entries were unable to meet the much publicized criteria. NOSC opened its submission portal for 2022 entries from September 20 - October 4, 2021.
The International Feature Film category recognizes feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States with a key criteria being that it must contain over 50% non-English dialogue.
In 2020, NOSC announced that the AMPAS had approved pidgin English as an eligibility criteria after Genevieve Nnaji's 'Lionheart' was disqualified for failing the language criteria.