Nigeria has selected the period drama Dear Ajayi as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, marking the country's return to the Oscars race after sitting out the previous cycle.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee announced the decision after reviewing eligible entries submitted during a month-long call for entries that ran from August 1 to 31 . The film now enters the Academy's consideration process alongside submissions from countries around the world.
NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers and expressed optimism about the film's prospects. "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 .
Directed, written and produced by Damilola Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is a Nigeria-Germany co-production set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s . The family drama follows two estranged sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, forced to live together while caring for their paralysed mother. Ade, a devout Christian and the family's breadwinner, struggles to understand Titi, an aspiring singer whose independent spirit challenges the expectations placed on her. Their reunion brings old resentments to the surface, compelling both women to confront grief, family history and conflicting ambitions .
The cast includes Bimbo Akintola as Ade, Tosin Adeyemi as Titi, and Lanre Hassan as their mother, with William Benson, Antar Laniyan, Uzoamaka Power, Michelle Dede and Chioma "Chigul" Omeruah also featuring .
Dear Ajayi has already made history as the first Nigerian film selected for competition at Venice Days, an independent programme held alongside the Venice International Film Festival . It won two awards there: the CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Prize and the Bisato d'Oro Award for Best Cast and Performances .
Nigeria has never received a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category. The country's first entry, Genevieve Nnaji's Lionheart, was disqualified from the 2020 Oscars because most of its dialogue was in English . Desmond Ovbiagele's The Milkmaid was accepted for the 93rd Academy Awards but did not progress to the shortlist, and Mai Martaba also failed to advance . In 2025, the committee declined to submit any film, citing a deficit in "creative and technical intentionality" .
The 99th Oscars are scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles. The shortlist will be announced on December 15, 2026, with nominations following on January 21, 2027 .
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