The 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled for April, has released the shortlist of the International Feature Film, a category that celebrates films from other climes than the United States with predominantly non-English dialogue. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s submission ‘The Milkmaid’ did not make the cut.
Desmond Ovbiagele’s “The Milkmaid” is a Hausa language-based thriller on insurgency, especially as it affects women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Inspired by the image on Nigeria’s 10 Naira note, the film tells the story of a Fulani milkmaid who confronts extremists in a rural African community, in a quest to locate her missing sister, and how efforts to recapture her disrupted past proved complicated.
Only 15 films from countries such as Chile, Tunisia, Iran, Mexico, Romania, Norway would advance to the nominations round. Then, the Academy members will be invited to opt in to participate and view all 15 films to vote.
The Nigeria Oscars Submission Committee (NOSC), the body in charge of submitting films to the Academy Awards for Nigeria; has fervently pursued an opportunity for Nollywood to participate in the global film awards.
In 2019, its submission, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart was disqualified for not meeting the language requirement. The body receieved criticisms from many for that shortcoming. The Milkmaid however became the first Nigerian film eligible to compete at the Oscars.
