Nigeria’s first Oscar entry was disqualified for having too much English. English is Nigeria’s official language

Nigeria’s first-ever submission to the Oscars’ international feature category lasted a few weeks. The Academy disqualified it in November 2019 because most of it was in English.

The film was Lionheart, directed by and starring Genevieve Nnaji, one of Nollywood’s biggest stars. Of its roughly 95 minutes, only about 11 minutes were in Igbo; the rest were in English. Under the Academy’s rules, a film in the international category had to have a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

The film

Lionheart follows Adaeze, a businesswoman who takes over her father’s transport company in Enugu when he falls ill, and struggles to save it in a male-dominated industry while dealing with debt and a rival businessman. The cast included Nkem Owoh and the veteran actor Pete Edochie. Netflix acquired the film in 2018, making it the first Netflix original film from Nigeria, and it was widely seen around the world.

The disqualification

The Academy’s decision was based on the rule, not on the quality of the film. But the reaction was fierce. Nnaji responded on social media that the film represented “the way we speak as Nigerians”, adding that it was no different from how French connects communities in former French colonies, and that Nigerians did not choose who colonised them.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay publicly questioned the Academy, asking whether it was barring Nigeria from ever competing in its official language. Many Nigerians and Africans argued that the rule penalised countries where English is the language of daily life because of colonial history.

Why the rule exists

The Academy’s category, renamed from “Best Foreign Language Film” to “Best International Feature Film” in 2019, was designed to honour films made in languages other than English, since English-language films compete in the main categories. The rename made the rule more confusing, since “international” suggested any film from outside the United States.

The Academy stood by its decision.

What followed

Nigeria kept submitting films in later years, choosing works with more dialogue in Nigerian languages, such as Yoruba-language films. The debate raised awareness of how African cinema is judged by international institutions.

Genevieve Nnaji

Nnaji, one of the best-known actresses in African cinema, had built her career in Nollywood since childhood. Lionheart was her directorial debut. Despite the Oscar setback, the Netflix deal was a milestone for Nigerian film, showing a path for Nollywood productions onto global streaming platforms.

The film was about a woman refusing to be pushed out of her father’s business. Its director spent the Oscar season arguing that her country should not be pushed out for speaking its own official language.