Nigeria has selected Dear Ajayi as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, popularly known as the 2027 Oscars.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC), which is responsible for selecting the country’s entry for the Academy Awards, announced the film’s selection after reviewing eligible submissions.
Directed, written and produced by Damilola Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is a period drama set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s.
The film centres on two sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, whose lives take different paths but are brought into conflict when their ailing mother moves in with them.
As they navigate grief, faith, ambition and family expectations, old tensions resurface, forcing the sisters to confront their past and reconsider the decisions that have shaped their lives.
Reacting to the selection, NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers and wished the production team success as the film advances through the Academy’s selection process.
The selection gives Dear Ajayi the opportunity to compete for a place among the international films considered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 2027 Oscars.
However, being selected as Nigeria’s official submission does not automatically guarantee an Oscar nomination. The film must first go through the Academy’s consideration and voting process before the final nominees are announced.
Nigeria has previously submitted several films for consideration in the International Feature Film category, making the country’s latest selection another opportunity for Nollywood and the wider Nigerian film industry to gain international recognition.
With Dear Ajayi now carrying Nigeria’s hopes, attention will turn to the Academy’s next stage of the selection process and whether the film can secure a place among the final nominees.
