The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has advised the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) to resolve its internal crisis.
Qed.ng earlier reported that the committee led by Chineze Anayene-Abonyi was hit by a crisis over the decision not to submit a film for the 2023 Oscars, dividing members of the committee.
The 15-member NOSC is responsible for submitting a Nigerian film in the International Feature Film (IFF) category of the Oscars.
A source told our correspondent that some members petitioned the Academy, challenging Anyaene-Abonyi as head of the committee amid the crisis which has seen two members resigning from NOSC.
The Academy, Qed.ng learnt, however, advised the parties to resolve the crisis in accordance to the committee’s rules.
Anyaene-Abonyi, a filmmaker and director of the critically acclaimed film Ije, constituted the committee and received approval from the Academy in 2012 as the Nigerian organisation approved to submit and represent the country’s feature film entry in International Feature Film (IFF) category; the committee for which she was chairperson was approved for a running tenure of five years.
The re-committee was re-approved in 2019 by the Academy with Anyaene-Abonyi retaining her position as the chairperson.
In 2019 the committee submitted Nigeria’s first entry, Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut movie, Lionheart, for the Oscars for the Best International Feature Film category formerly called the Best Foreign language category.
2020 is the second year in a row that Nigeria would not submit a film for the IFF category of the Oscars.
The last submission by the committee was The Milkmaid in 2020.
