Nigerian filmmakers anticipating to submit their movies for the 2016 edition of Oscars now have the opportunity to do so.
This is because the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC) has announced the acceptance of Nigerian movies for the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, otherwise called The Oscars, from filmmakers of Nigerian origin.
According to a statement issued by the NOSC, Nigerian filmmakers living in Nigeria and Diaspora can enter their films in the Foreign Language category of the coveted awards. Submissions would be received from June 16 to July 6, 2015.
The submitted movies can be in full and all genres.
But parts of the criteria for selection include originality of story, good directing, acting, cinematography and sound, while the recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed picture must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English.
Chairman of NOSC, Chineze Anyaene, disclosed that Nigerians filmmakers should be well aware of the prerequisites by now, following last year’s inadequacies.
In her words, “What matters to the committee is the selection and submission of works that best represent the country, and not just to be counted among the countries with entries at the Oscars.”
She explained that such films “must have been released in Nigeria between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015, and be publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre, for the profit of the producer and exhibitor.
“In addition, the picture must be advertised and exploited during its theatrical release in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry. The picture need not have been released in the United States.”
It will be recalled that Nigeria joined 82 other countries contesting the Foreign Language diadem, after the approval and subsequent inauguration of the NOSC in February 2014, but could not present any film to the Oscars, as the few submissions were considered ineligible.
The 12-man Nigerian committee seeks Nigerian films whose themes relate to the country and are predominantly in language other than English and Pidgin English. Unfortunately, most of the entries received were either in English, poorly subtitled or lacking in some technical details.
