Nigeria’s Oscar Submissions Have a Visibility Problem

Anora, a Cinderella-esque tale with a tragic twist, emerged as the big winner at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. Starring Mikey Madison as Ani, the film follows a young, beautiful stripper who unexpectedly marries the son of an oligarch. For a moment, she lives in luxury. Then, his parents reject the marriage, and she realizes he never truly loved her. Distributed by Neon, the American film company behind past Oscar contenders, Anora’s marketing and awards campaign cost $18 million—three times its production budget. This mirrors Neon’s strategy for Parasite (2020), which swept six Oscars, including Best Picture, after an aggressive $20 million marketing push. Making a great film isn’t enough. Who gets to see these films, and how well are they positioned within the industry? This is precisely where Nollywood continues to fall short. 

Last year, the NOSC submitted a film to the International Feature Film category for only the third time in its history. The Oscar journey began in 2020 with Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, the first Nigerian film ever entered for the category (where most non-American films compete). However, the Academy disqualified it for having too much English dialogue, as “predominantly non-English” is a criterion for the category. That same year, Parasite made history, proving the growing influence of international cinema. While Lionheart may not have won, a shortlist was within reach—had the award been taken more seriously. 

In 2021, the commission tried again with Desmond Ovbiagele’s The Milkmaid, a Hausa-language film that met the Academy’s language rules. The film failed to make the shortlist. By 2023, hopes were high for CJ Obasi’s Mami Wata, a visually stunning black-and-white film that had already made waves, winning a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. It had the strongest international presence of any Nigerian submission. Still, it wasn’t nominated. That’s one disqualification, two unsuccessful bids, and now, a fourth attempt.

For 2025, the NOSC selected Prince Daniel’s (who is also the NOSC director) Mai Martaba, a grand Hausa epic. This time, it seemed different. Vice President Kashim Shettima publicly pledged support for the film’s Oscar campaign. Unfortunately, when it came time to mobilize resources and push the film in front of Academy voters, the promised backing never materialized. Meanwhile, other countries were actively lobbying for their films, ensuring they were seen and discussed within industry circles. Nigeria’s Oscar journey remains an uphill battle, shaped by a failure to engage in the strategic advocacy necessary for success.

A major part of this issue lies with the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC), the body responsible for selecting and submitting the country’s entries. According to one of their objectives, the committee exists “to build audiences for Nigerian and international films and to encourage an awareness and appreciation of the diversity of talent working in the feature film sector.” Yet, there is a clear disconnect between this stated mission and the reality of Nigeria’s Oscar campaigns.

When researching this article, I asked two self-proclaimed cinephiles whether they had heard of Mai Martaba, Nigeria’s official Oscar submission for 2025. Their unanimous response—“no”—exposes a fundamental flaw in the film’s promotional strategy. If even engaged film enthusiasts are unaware of Nigeria’s submission, how can it possibly gain traction internationally? The Nigerian government’s failure to deliver its promised support for Mai Martaba further underscores this problem. Other nations invest heavily in ensuring their films receive the necessary exposure—a critical factor in Oscar success. Brazil’s 2025 win with I’m Still Here is a prime example. Media giant Globo left nothing to chance, organizing exclusive screenings for Academy voters, securing prime festival slots, and dominating industry coverage in outlets like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline. Nollywood, by comparison, lags behind. When even local cinephiles barely know about their country’s Oscar submission, as was the case with Mai Martaba, it’s a clear sign of a broken promotional strategy. 

The solution is clear: Nigeria must fundamentally change its approach to Oscar submissions. Until the country commits to serious, well-funded advocacy, the cycle of submissions met with silence will continue. The industry must address the visibility crisis affecting its Oscar submissions via strategic partnerships with domestic theater chains, streaming platforms, and media outlets, ensuring Nigerian audiences become familiar with their country’s official entries and building momentum that can then extend beyond national borders. The window between now and the 2026 ceremony offers the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee (NOSC) and industry stakeholders a critical period to rethink their strategy. Rather than selecting existing films with minimal promotional support, NOSC, in collaboration with filmmakers, should consider developing Oscar-caliber projects with international recognition in mind from the outset.

Ultimately, securing Oscar recognition is about more than just making great films. It requires strategic marketing, industry connections, and aggressive campaigning. With deliberate planning and industry-wide collaboration, Nollywood may begin closing the gap between its considerable artistic potential and the international recognition it needs. The journey to Oscar gold may be long, but with each strategic step forward, the film industry moves closer to the day when its cinematic achievements are celebrated on the world’s most prestigious stage.