The Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC) has selected ‘LionHeart’, a film co-produced and directed by the veteran Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji, as the country’s submission to the International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars.
The announcement came yesterday after the Committee allowed statutory vetting and subsequent voting of entries received from Nigerian filmmakers at home and in the Diaspora.
It will be recalled that the ‘Lionheart’ was premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and was subsequently acquired on September 7, 2018, as first Netflix original film produced in Nigeria.
Produced by Chinny Onwugbenu, Chichi Nwoko, Genevieve Nnaji, and directed by Genevieve Nnaji, the ‘Lionheart’ stars Pete Edochie, Genevieve Nnaji, Nkem Owoh, Onyeka Onwenu, Kanayo .O. Kanayo, Chika Okpala, Kalu Ikeagwu, Sanni Mu’azu, Yakubu Mohammed, Ngozi Ezeonu, Peter Okoye (P-Square) and Chibuzor Azubuike (Phyno).
Our reporter gathered that the film was released worldwide on January 4, 2019 following a December 2018 theatrical release in Nigeria.
Movie Plot
‘Lionheart’ tells the story of a young woman, Adaeze Obiagu (Genevieve Nnaji), who becomes saddled with the responsibility of running her sick father’s business under the suffocating supervision of an uncle, played by Nkem Owoh.
Adaeze’s competing business instincts and family obligations become a catalyst for drastic change not everyone is ready to embrace.
The film’s rise to fame
Since the inauguration of the NOSC in 2014, this would be the first time Nigeria is advancing a film to the Oscar, as previous entries received by the committee did not meet basic criteria.
Among the films received this year by the 12-man Committee, which boasts of notable Nollywood stakeholders, it picked ‘Lionheart’ for its considerable shots at the rules.
The Committee is chaired by Chineze Anyaene, Producer and Director of ‘Ije’; Nollywood’s remarkable box office earner and foremost filmmaker and Chairman of Audio-Visual Rights Society (AVRS) of Nigeria, Mr. Mahmood Ali-Balogun as Vice Chairman.
Others in the Committee are: Bruce Ayonote, CEO of Legend Box Office; filmmaker and talent manager, Mildred Okwo; Journalist/Film Critic, Shaibu Husseini; filmmaker/author, Charles Novia; award-winning filmmaker, CJ Obasi; top actor Ramsey Nouah; versatile director and cinematographer, Adetokunbo ‘DJ Tee’ Odubawo; movie producer, Ngozi Okafor; AFRIFF Founder, Chioma Ude and director of Green-White-Green, Abba Makama.
According to Anyaene, entries received this year show significant improvements from the previous years.
“While we cannot say that what we have are the best that Nigeria is capable of producing, it is heart-lifting to know that, from the strength of the entries received this year, we are truly ready for the Oscars.
“Filmmakers are gradually taking the Oscar rules into consideration, and I have no doubt that it is going to be more competitive, going forward,” she said.
Every year, each country outside the United States is expected to submit one film as long as it’s not primarily in English. Films in pidgin, which must be subtitled like any other language films are also considered under this category.
Formerly called ‘Best Foreign Language Film’, 87 countries vied for the shortlisted slots last year, and from a final five Oscar nominations, ‘Roma’, a Mexican film directed by Alfonso Cuarón won the award in 2018.
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