Stephanie Linus, the Nollywood actress, has been announced as the chairperson of the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC).
NOSC is the organisation recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to select and subsequently submit movies from Nigeria for onward shortlisting in the Best International Feature Film (IFF) category at the Oscars which holds annually.
Linus is expected to take over from Chineze Anyaene, who recently stepped down from the position.
A newly reconstituted 14-member NOSC team was also approved by AMPAS.
They include Chidia Maduekwe, the managing director of the Nigerian Film Corporation; Victor Okhai, the president of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN); Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, the ace actress; Andy Amenechi, former president of DGN; Yibo Koko, the theatre practitioner, and Izu Ojukwu, the writer and director.
Other members include Adetokunbo ‘DJ Tee’ Odubawo, the cinematographer; Emem Isong, the film producer; director Dimeji Ajibola; Jude Idada, the writer and director; Ngozi Okafor, John Njamah and Meg Otanwa.
Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards, the newly formed NOSC team will be tasked with collecting, screening, and voting on entries to represent Nigeria in the IFF category.
The NOSC, in a statement, “emphasizes that its new membership list brings together individuals with diverse creative backgrounds to contribute to the process of selecting the best film from Nigeria”.
The IFF award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length film produced outside the United States, with 50 percent or more non-English dialogue.
The Academy has specific criteria for submitted films, including accurate English subtitles, shooting formats, and theatrical releases – details of which can be found on the NOSC website.
In October 2022, NOSC was beset with a heated crisis as its leadership voted to not enter any Nigerian movie for the IFF award category of the 2023 Oscars after weeks of internal conflict.
This resulted in a protracted altercation with filmmakers who felt their movies had a shot at being shortlisted.
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