Will C.J. Obasi’s “Mami Wata” win an Oscar?
While the communities surrounding it were advancing welfare, Iyi village cannot keep up with the pace. Instead, it insisted on blind devotion to a marine deity and that brought on disruptions. Who will steady the boat is the question that needed to be asked.
By Ayodele Johnson
A picture telling a story about West African folklore is shown in black and white. It was the visual theme that the filmmaker C.J Obasi thought fit to depict the influence of a timeless aquatic mermaid in his 8 September released title, Mami Wata.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) announcement on Sunday 15 October has put to bed any talk about which film will be representing Nigeria at the 96th Academy Awards happening at the Dolby Theatre in California in the U.S. on 10 March. It is going to be Mami Wata, the third submission from Nigeria that made it to the Best International Feature Film category.
According to the NOSC chairperson, Stephanie Linus in a statement, Mami Wata, which was produced in Pidgin English, fits all the Oscar parameters to be expected and that has guaranteed making it an entry into the revamped Oscars group.
Linus’s voice in the statement reads: “I’m excited to announce a milestone in our NOSC journey: our first Pidgin film submission to the Academy, marking our commitment to diversity and global representation. I urge filmmakers not to relent in enhancing their skills, and elevate production to global standards.”
Prior to April 2020, this particular award was known as the Best Foreign Language Film. No matter its current form, the fact is that it would be keenly contested by the eventual nominees after the preliminary shortlist voting would have ended by 21 December.
C.J Obasi’s journey here came after a trip to the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. There, it won the World Cinema Dramatic: Special Jury Award for Cinematography. Such recognition has been replicated elsewhere, including in Burkina Faso at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.
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Getting deep into it, Mami Wata showcases the thirst for survival. Where two sisters have the burden of shouldering the quest for survival of Iyi village and ensuring the idea of an elusive mermaid stays potent in the mind.
Among the cast is the actor Kelechi Udegbe, who is getting himself involved in the most exceptional projects. The two sisters who found bond are Evelyne Ily Juhen as Prisca and Uzoamaka Aniunoh as Zinwe.
Their performances have invited positive reviews and an insight into the reception that greets African deities when their stories are told, like this note from The Wall Street Journal that sees “Cinema’s power to transport” being “vividly on display” in the movie.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
