Stephanie Linus emerges as new head of Nigeria's Oscars committee

Stephanie Linus is the new Chairperson of the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Best International Feature Film (IFF) category of the Oscars.

Her appointment comes after Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi recently stepped down as the head of the committee. With Nigeria's no-show at the 2022 Oscars based on a no-submission vote by the former committee members, hope is now renewed with the re-approval of the NOSC and its newly emerged chairperson.

Punch reports that the new leadership comes with newly constituted members. They include veteran actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, managing director for the Nigerian Film Corporation Chidia Maduekwe, president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria Victor Okhai, former president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria Andy Amenechi, theatre practitioner Yibo Kikoko and director Izu Ojukwu.

They join other members like director John Njamah, cinematographer Adetokunbo Odubawo, actress Meg Otanwa, director Dimeji Ajibola, actress Ngozi Okafor, cinematographer Emem Isong and writer/director Jude Idada.

They are expected to collect, screen and vote on movie entries that will represent Nigeria in the IFF category in the next edition of the Oscars. The IFF category, formerly called the Best Foreign Language Award, is for feature-length films containing 50% or more of non-English dialogue produced outside of the United States.

NOSC committee selection will be guided based on their various expertise in the film industry as well as an A-E selection procedure. The A-E selection procedure includes:

A. Committee members collectively reviewing and evaluating eligible Nigerian films for Oscar submission.
B. Films selection based on their artistic quality, cultural representation, and adherence to Academy Awards criteria.
C. A transparent voting system was employed to finalize the official submission from Nigeria for the Oscars
D. The committee adhered to the Academy Awards submission deadlines and requirements.
E. Any decision reached at the end of the voting system employed is final and cannot be changed to fear or favour.