Nigeria is back in the Oscar race. On 4 October 2026, the country's official selection committee, chaired by actress Stephanie Linus, chose “Dear Ajayi” to compete for Best International Feature Film, after a year without a submission.
Written and directed by Damilola Orimogunje, the family drama, a Nigeria–Germany co-production, is set in 1990s south-western Nigeria. Two very different sisters, Ade and Titi, must live together to care for their paralysed mother. Bimbo Akintola, Tosin Adeyemi and Lanre Hassan lead the cast, in a film spoken in Yoruba, English and Igbo.
After screening at the Giornate degli Autori alongside the Venice Film Festival, the film is also set to play at Film Africa in London on 30 October.
Being selected by a country is not a nomination: the Academy will first check eligibility, then vote on a 15-film shortlist and finally five nominees. The ceremony is scheduled for 14 March 2027 in Los Angeles.
