The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Best International Feature Film category of the prestigious Academy Awards, famously known as the Oscars, has announced that its founder and chairperson, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, has decided to pass the baton of leadership.
The decision of Anyaene-Abonyi came days after she obtained the Oscars’ re-approval of the NOSC, a time when Nigeria and the rest of the world prepare for the 96th edition of the Academy Awards which will hold in 2024.
According to a statement issued by the committee, the new leadership of the NOSC will be announced in due course.
The statement read: “NOSC makes bold to say that under Chineze’s two-term steadfast leadership, the committee has transformed into a beacon of hope and standard befitting of Nigerian filmmakers aspiring to compete in the IFF category of the Oscars.
“The outgoing chairperson recalls the pivotal moment when, as a young filmmaker, she attempted to submit her film for Oscars’ consideration in 2012, only to discover that Nigeria had no constituted committee for film submissions.
“This discovery fueled her determination to create and personally finance a committee for Nigerian films to compete at this prestigious level of international cinema.
“As Chineze hands over to a new team, the NOSC considers the transition as the end of an era, characterized by an unwavering dedication to standard, professionalism and remarkable legacies.”
The statement also stated that in recent years, the mission of NOSC had evolved from submitting films to promoting and developing the creation of high-quality Nigerian film entries. According to the committee, the focus shifted towards encouraging a collaborative effort within the industry, where personal interests were ignored for the greater good of the Nigerian film industry.
While expressing her confidence in the ability of the next team to carry on the legacy and ensure that the quality and excellence of Nigerian films are prioritized, Anyaene-Abonyi said: “The Nigerian film industry possesses immense potential and talents, and I believe that with continued dedication and cooperation, it will undoubtedly reach new heights.”
She also extended her gratitude to people that supported and contributed to the journey, acknowledging that her tenure could not have recorded the successes attained without the support of individuals and organizations within the film industry.
She constituted the NOSC and received approval from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the organization to collect, screen and vote entries that would represent Nigeria in the IFF category in 2012.
The committee was re-approved in 2019, the year that NOSC submitted Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lionheart’, which was later disqualified over failure to meet the non-English dialogue criteria.
The Academy later yielded to the committee’s request for the recognition of pidgin as a local language. So, on October 16, 2020, the Academy acknowledged pidgin English as a non-English language fit for the IFF category.
Desmond Ovbiagele’s ‘The Milkmaid’ made history in 2021 as the first Nigerian film to be approved by the Academy to compete in the IFF category of the 93rd Academy Awards but didn’t make the final shortlist.
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