Simpson Global Media News DeskNigeria has selected Damilola Orimogunje’s feature film Dear Ajayi as its official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, placing the Nigerian-German production in contention for consideration at the 2027 Oscars.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee, the Academy-recognised body responsible for choosing Nigeria’s entry in the category, announced the selection after reviewing eligible films submitted during its 2026 call for entries. The decision brings Nigeria back into the international feature-film competition after the country did not submit an entry for the previous Academy Awards cycle.
The selection is an important development for Nigerian cinema, but it does not mean that Dear Ajayi has already been nominated for an Oscar. The film must still go through the Academy’s international feature selection process, where it will be considered alongside submissions from other countries before the shortlist and final nominees are determined.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles. According to the reported Academy timetable, the international feature shortlist is expected to be announced on December 15, 2026, followed by the final nominations on January 21, 2027.
Nigeria Returns to the Oscars Race
The selection of Dear Ajayi represents Nigeria’s return to the Best International Feature Film process after the country did not submit a film for the 98th Academy Awards.
The previous submission process ended without a Nigerian entry after the selection committee determined that the films under consideration did not meet its required standard. For the current awards cycle, the Nigerian Official Selection Committee reopened submissions from August 1 to August 31, 2026, inviting eligible Nigerian filmmakers, producers and rights holders to submit their works for consideration.
Dear Ajayi emerged from that process and will now carry Nigeria’s official representation into the next stage of the Oscars campaign.
NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers following the selection and said the committee looked forward to presenting the film for the Academy’s consideration. She also wished the production team success as the film moved into the next phase of the international process.
The significance of the decision extends beyond the individual film. An official Oscars submission provides an opportunity for Nigerian cinema to place one of its recent productions before an international body evaluating films from around the world.
However, the distinction between an official submission, a shortlist position and an Oscar nomination remains important. Nigeria’s selection committee chooses the country’s entry, but the Academy ultimately determines which international films advance through its own process.
For Dear Ajayi, the immediate objective is therefore not to claim an Oscar nomination but to successfully navigate the Academy’s eligibility and selection stages.
A Story Rooted in 1990s Southwestern Nigeria
Written and directed by Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is a period drama set in southwestern Nigeria during the 1990s.
At the centre of the story are two estranged sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, whose lives have moved in different directions. Their circumstances force them back under the same roof when they have to care for their paralysed mother.
Ade is portrayed as a devout Christian and the principal breadwinner of her family. Titi, by contrast, is an aspiring singer whose independent outlook and artistic ambitions place her at odds with the expectations surrounding her.
Their forced reunion becomes the emotional engine of the film.
Rather than presenting the sisters simply as opposing personalities, the story examines the history behind their strained relationship and the pressures that have shaped their individual choices. Their mother’s condition forces unresolved tensions back into the open, creating a situation in which family responsibility, personal ambition and old resentment cannot easily be separated.
Film Africa, which is scheduled to screen the film in London later this month, describes the story as one in which the sisters must put aside years of bitterness while confronting questions of family, responsibility, forgiveness and reconciliation.
The film is presented in Yoruba, English and Igbo, with English subtitles, reinforcing its grounding in Nigeria’s linguistic and cultural environment.
Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi Lead the Cast
The film’s central roles are played by Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi, who portray the sisters Ade and Titi respectively.
Lanre Hassan plays their mother, while William Benson, Antar Laniyan, Uzoamaka Power, Michelle Dede and Chioma Omeruah, popularly known as Chigul, are also among the cast.
The casting places experienced Nigerian performers alongside younger talent in a story in which much of the drama depends on relationships, gestures and emotional tension rather than spectacle.
In an interview with Eye For Film ahead of the film’s Venice premiere, Orimogunje discussed the importance of performance in the project. He explained that the characters often communicate through their expressions and actions, with music playing a particularly important role in revealing what Titi cannot easily express through dialogue.
That emphasis is reflected in the character of Titi, whose ambitions as a singer become part of the film’s larger examination of identity and freedom.
Her music is not simply an entertainment device within the story. It becomes another means through which the character communicates her frustrations, aspirations and emotional state.
From Local Production to Venice
Before receiving Nigeria’s Oscar selection, Dear Ajayi had already reached an important international platform.
The film had its world premiere in September 2026 in the Giornate degli Autori programme, also known as Venice Days, an independent section operating alongside the Venice International Film Festival.
Its appearance there was significant because it marked the film’s entry into an international festival environment before its Nigerian awards submission was announced.
Festival records identify September 10, 2026, as the date of the film’s official Venice screening. The film was presented as a 2026 Nigeria-Germany production directed by Orimogunje and featuring Akintola, Adeyemi, Hassan and other Nigerian actors.
The film’s Venice presence also generated international critical attention.
Cineuropa, reviewing the film during the festival, described it as Orimogunje’s second feature and highlighted its focus on the two sisters as they attempt to care for their ailing mother while dealing with their different ambitions and personal difficulties.
The review also noted the film’s attention to Nigerian social and domestic realities, including questions of class, gender expectations and personal aspiration.
Meanwhile, Eye For Film reported that Orimogunje wanted the production to carry an African and Nigerian sensibility, including through its use of music, visual art and nostalgia.
These elements help explain why the film has attracted attention beyond its immediate Nigerian context.
A Nigeria-Germany Production
Although the story is firmly rooted in Nigeria, Dear Ajayi is the product of an international production partnership.
The film was produced through Nigerian and German companies, with 2o9ine Films, Depth and Optics Productions and Zynox Productions associated with the Nigerian side of the production and Mayana Films representing Germany.
The production team includes Orimogunje, Bose Oshin and Ajah Enene-Orimogunje as producers, with Zorana Mušikić, May Odeh and Joshua Alabi among the co-producers listed in production records. KC Obiajulu served as director of photography, while Olalekan Afolabi handled editing and Ré Olunuga composed the original music.
The combination of Nigerian storytelling and international production support places the film within a growing pattern of Nigerian cinema reaching global festivals through co-production and independent-film networks.
For Orimogunje, the Oscars submission is also the latest stage in a filmmaking career built around character-driven stories.
His earlier feature, For Maria Ebun Pataki, premiered at Film Africa in London and received the festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. It subsequently received six African Movie Academy Award nominations.
Orimogunje’s Approach to Storytelling
Dear Ajayi continues Orimogunje’s interest in intimate stories built around family, identity, grief and everyday Nigerian life.
The director has said that the film’s visual and emotional approach was influenced by a desire to create a nostalgic portrait of Nigeria while allowing different art forms to work together inside the story.
Music, in particular, becomes closely tied to Titi’s character.
In Orimogunje’s account, Titi does not always articulate her feelings directly. Her singing provides another form of communication and allows the audience to understand aspects of the character that remain hidden in ordinary conversations.
This approach gives the film an additional layer beyond the family conflict.
The sisters are not simply debating who is right or wrong. They represent different responses to responsibility, ambition, faith, family expectation and the search for personal fulfilment.
Ade’s life is heavily shaped by duty. Titi’s choices are driven more strongly by the desire to pursue music and establish an identity of her own.
Their differences become more difficult to manage when circumstances make separation impossible.
Why the Oscars Selection Matters
Nigeria’s selection of Dear Ajayi comes at a time when Nigerian film continues to expand its presence on international festival and distribution platforms.
An official Oscars submission does not guarantee recognition, but it provides a formal route through which the film can be considered by the Academy.
The international feature category is particularly important because it allows national film industries to present works that tell stories in languages and cultural settings different from the dominant American filmmaking environment.
For Nigeria, the process has previously produced both milestones and setbacks.
Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart became Nigeria’s first submission for the category but was disqualified from the 2020 Oscars race after the Academy determined that most of its dialogue was in English.
Desmond Ovbiagele’s The Milkmaid was later accepted as Nigeria’s submission for the 93rd Academy Awards but did not make the final 15-film shortlist.
The country subsequently missed the submission stage for the 98th Academy Awards.
Against that background, Dear Ajayi enters the 99th awards cycle with the immediate distinction of being the film officially selected to represent Nigeria.
The next challenge will be the Academy’s consideration process.
The Road Ahead
The Oscars journey will now move beyond Nigeria’s selection committee.
The Academy will consider Dear Ajayi alongside films submitted by other countries and territories. The international feature process ultimately narrows the field to a shortlist before the final nominees are selected.
The reported timetable places the announcement of the 15-film shortlist on December 15, 2026. The five final nominees are expected to be announced on January 21, 2027, ahead of the March ceremony.
Until those stages are completed, it would be premature to describe Dear Ajayi as an Oscar nominee.
What can be established now is that the film has cleared Nigeria’s national selection stage and has been formally chosen to enter the international feature-film race on the country’s behalf.
Its campaign will therefore involve more than the prestige attached to the selection itself. Eligibility, Academy consideration and the competitive field of submissions will determine whether the film progresses.
Festival Momentum
The film enters the Oscars process with an existing festival record that could help introduce it to international audiences.
Its Venice appearance placed it before festival audiences and critics in September, while Film Africa has scheduled a London screening for October 30, 2026, at Rio Cinema Dalston.
The festival circuit provides another avenue through which audiences can encounter the film before its wider release.
Available film records list the production as a 2026 feature with a running time of roughly two hours, although individual festival and film databases differ slightly on the exact runtime.
The film is also expected to receive a Nigerian theatrical release later in 2026, with available industry listings giving November 13 as the release date.
That release schedule makes the coming weeks significant for the production.
The film has already moved from development and production into international festival exhibition. It now has Nigeria’s official backing for the Oscars and is approaching its next phase of audience exposure.
A Story About Family Rather Than Spectacle
One of the distinguishing features of Dear Ajayi is its relatively intimate premise.
The film does not depend on a large-scale historical event, action sequence or elaborate spectacle to create its central conflict.
Instead, it concentrates on a family brought together by circumstances neither sister can easily control.
Their mother’s illness becomes the immediate reason for their reunion, but the deeper conflict comes from years of unresolved differences.
Ade and Titi have developed contrasting ideas about what a meaningful life should look like. One has embraced responsibility and religious devotion; the other continues to pursue music and independence.
Their relationship allows the film to explore how families can remain connected even when members have fundamentally different ambitions.
It also raises questions about the sacrifices individuals make for relatives and about the limits of those sacrifices.
The setting in 1990s southwestern Nigeria provides another important layer.
Rather than presenting the period merely as background decoration, the film uses its social environment to examine expectations surrounding women, family responsibility, religion and creative ambition.
International reviews have also drawn attention to the film’s portrayal of Nigerian social realities and the pressures experienced by its female characters.
The Importance of Language and Place
The film’s use of Yoruba, English and Igbo contributes to its Nigerian identity.
In a global awards category where films come from many different linguistic traditions, language can be a significant component of how a national cinema presents itself.
Dear Ajayi is not simply a Nigerian story relocated into an international production environment. Its characters, setting, family structures and cultural references remain grounded in Nigeria.
Film Africa’s description places the story specifically against the backdrop of 1990s Nigeria and identifies its languages as Yoruba, English and Igbo, with English subtitles.
The Academy’s international feature category has specific eligibility requirements concerning the use of non-English dialogue and theatrical exhibition. That makes the film’s official selection only the beginning of the process, with eligibility and subsequent Academy evaluation still important to its progression.
From Independent Cinema to National Representation
There is also a wider significance in the path Dear Ajayi has taken.
The film began as an independently developed Nigerian production and moved through development support, international partnerships and festival programming before becoming Nigeria’s official Oscar submission.
Its journey illustrates how films operating outside the largest commercial productions can move into prominent international spaces when their stories attract festival and industry interest.
For independent Nigerian filmmakers, that pathway can be particularly important.
Nollywood’s commercial output is often associated with large audiences, streaming platforms and theatrical releases. Films such as Dear Ajayi represent another part of the ecosystem: cinema built around directors, actors, writers, producers and international festival platforms, with a strong emphasis on character, atmosphere and social observation.
The film’s selection demonstrates that Nigeria’s international cinema ambitions are not limited to commercial blockbusters.
What the Selection Does — and Does Not — Mean
The announcement should nevertheless be viewed carefully.
Dear Ajayi is Nigeria’s official submission. It is not yet one of the five films nominated for the Academy Award.
The distinction is important because the international feature category receives submissions from numerous countries and only a small number ultimately reach the final nomination stage.
The Nigerian selection committee’s responsibility is to choose the film that will represent the country. The Academy then applies its own rules and voting procedures to determine which films advance.
Consequently, the immediate milestone for Dear Ajayi is its successful completion of the Nigerian selection stage.
The film’s next major milestone will be whether it appears on the Academy’s international feature shortlist in December.
If it advances further, the January announcement will determine whether it becomes one of the five official nominees.
Until then, the production team faces the task of presenting the film to Academy voters and the broader international film community while continuing its festival and release activities.
A New Chapter for Nigerian Cinema
Nigeria’s return to the Oscars submission process gives the 2027 awards cycle particular significance for the country’s film industry.
The selection of Dear Ajayi places a film about family, responsibility, music, faith and reconciliation at the centre of Nigeria’s international awards campaign.
It also gives Orimogunje’s second feature a new level of visibility after its international festival premiere.
The film’s progression from a story developed around two sisters in southwestern Nigeria to an official submission for one of the world’s most prominent film awards is itself a notable trajectory.
But the film’s Oscars journey remains open.
The Academy must still consider its eligibility and artistic merits alongside international submissions from other countries. The December shortlist and January nominations will provide the next concrete indicators of how far Nigeria’s entry has progressed.
For now, the facts are clear: Nigeria has chosen Dear Ajayi to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards; the film has already secured an international festival premiere; and its team is preparing for the next stage of the Academy process.
Looking Beyond the Awards
Whatever the eventual Oscars outcome, the selection gives Dear Ajayi an opportunity to reach audiences beyond Nigeria.
Its international festival exposure, planned London screening and forthcoming Nigerian release provide several routes through which viewers can encounter the film.
The production’s emphasis on Nigerian language, setting and family life also means that its international journey is tied closely to the question of how contemporary Nigerian stories can travel without losing their local character.
That question has become increasingly relevant as Nigerian cinema reaches wider audiences through festivals, cinemas and international distribution.
Dear Ajayi enters that conversation with a story that remains deliberately close to home.
Its central drama begins inside a family: two sisters who have grown apart, a mother whose illness forces them back together, and a history of disappointment and expectation that cannot be ignored forever.
The international awards process may ultimately determine how far the film travels, but its national selection has already established its next destination.
Nigeria will now wait to see whether Dear Ajayi can progress from official submission to shortlist, and potentially from shortlist to nomination, when the Academy’s decisions are announced in the months ahead.
For Nigerian cinema, the journey represents another opportunity to place a locally rooted story on one of the world’s most closely watched film stages.
For Orimogunje and the Dear Ajayi team, it marks the beginning of a new and significantly larger chapter for a film that started with an intimate story about two sisters and their complicated family bond.
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