The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has chosen ‘Dear Ajayi’ as Nigeria’s official submission for the International Feature Film (IFF) category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
The IFF award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length film produced outside the United States that contains at least 50 percent of dialogue in a language or languages other than English.
Produced and directed by Damilola Orimogunje, ‘Dear Ajayi’ tells the story of two estranged sisters in 1990s Nigeria who are compelled to live together while caring for their paralysed mother.
One of the sisters is a committed Christian, while the other is an aspiring singer with a rebellious personality.
The film stars Bimbo Akintola, Uzoamaka Power, Tosin Adeyemi, Baaj Adebule and others.
However, the film’s selection does not guarantee its acceptance into the competition, as it remains subject to further review by the IFF executive committee before it can be accepted or considered for the final nomination list.
The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Nigeria did not submit a film for the 2026 Oscars, marking the third occasion in five years that the country has been absent from the international feature film race.
‘Mai Martaba’, a Hausa epic, was selected as Nigeria’s submission for the 2025 Oscars, while ‘Mami Wata’ represented the country at the 96th Academy Awards.
In 2021, ‘The Milkmaid’ became the first Nigerian film accepted into the Oscars’ international feature category, although it failed to secure a place on the final shortlist.