The Nigeria Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has announced that no film will be submitted to represent the country in the ‘International Feature Film’ (IFF) category of the 2026 Academy Awards.
The IFF award is presented to a feature-length film produced outside the US with at least 50 percent non-English dialogue.
After calling for entries in August and receiving six submissions, the NOSC reached its verdict following deliberations on September 26.
In a statement released on Monday, the committee revealed that a majority of members voted for “no submission,” effectively ending the process.
Chairperson Stephanie Linus, who communicated the decision to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), acknowledged the improvements in Nigerian cinema but maintained that the films submitted lacked the required “creative and technical depth” to be globally competitive.
“While Nigerian films have no doubt shown significant improvement and growing awareness of IFF standards, there is still a deficit in creative and technical intentionality that will improve their competitive potential for global awards,” she said.
“This is why the NOSC will be taking more proactive steps to encourage filmmakers to create with the Oscars in mind.”
The decision follows Nigeria’s recent Oscar entries, including the Hausa epic Mai Martaba (2025) and Mami Wata (96th Academy Awards). However, it also reflects recurring setbacks, similar to earlier years when no film was put forward.
In 2021, Nigeria’s The Milkmaid became the first film to be officially submitted and accepted for the 93rd Oscars, although it did not make the first shortlist. This milestone raised hopes that Nollywood would continue making inroads into the global awards space.
Those hopes were dashed in 2022 (94th Oscars) when the then-chairperson, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, declared that no eligible Nigerian film was found. The same outcome repeated in 2023 (95th Oscars). Many within the industry have attributed the repeated non-submissions to the NOSC’s voting system, which includes the option of “no film eligible.”
The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.