Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi is heading into the 2027 Oscars race after Nigeria selected the movie as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category, weeks after it won two awards at the Venice International Film Festival.

The selection gives the Nigeria-Germany co-production another opportunity to build on its international run after it became the first Nigerian production to compete in the Giornate degli Autori, the independent programme held alongside the Venice International Film Festival, in September.

At Venice, Dear Ajayi won the CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Prize and the Bisato d’Oro award for Best Cast and Performances.

The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) announced the Oscar selection after reviewing films submitted during its August 1–31 call for entries. The decision also marks Nigeria’s return to the Oscars after the country did not submit a film for the 98th Academy Awards.

NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus congratulated the filmmakers and said the committee looked forward to presenting the movie for the Academy’s consideration.

“We congratulate the filmmakers behind Dear Ajayi on their selection,” Linus said. “We look forward to presenting the film for the Academy’s consideration and wish the team every success in the next stage of the process.”

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Written, directed and produced by Orimogunje, Dear Ajayi is set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s and follows two estranged sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, whose lives take different directions before they are forced to confront their relationship while caring for their ailing mother.

Ade is a devout Christian and the family’s breadwinner, while Titi is an aspiring singer whose independent outlook clashes with the expectations around her. Their reunion brings old grievances to the surface as they deal with family, faith, ambition, grief and responsibility.

Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi play the sisters, with Lanre Hassan, William Benson, Antar Laniyan, Uzoamaka Power, Michelle Dede and Chioma Omeruah also featuring in the cast. The movie is a Nigeria-Germany production involving 2o9ine Films, Depth and Optics Productions, Zynox Productions and Germany’s Mayana Films.

The Oscar selection does not mean Dear Ajayi has secured a nomination. The movie must first pass through the Academy’s eligibility and voting process, with the 15-film shortlist scheduled for December 15, 2026, before the final five nominees are announced on January 21, 2027.

For Nigeria, the selection comes after a difficult recent Oscar run. The country’s previous submission, Mai Martaba, did not make the shortlist, while Nigeria did not submit an entry for the 2026 Oscars after the selection committee determined that none of the films submitted met its required standard.

Dear Ajayi now enters the Academy race with the benefit of the attention it generated in Venice, where its two awards gave the movie early international recognition before Nigeria chose it to represent the country. The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.

Meiza Nigeria