Dear Ajayi gets Nigeria’s Oscars 2027 slot

Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi has been selected as Nigeria’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars.

The selection gives the film a major new milestone and puts it into the next stage of the Academy Awards process. The Nigerian Official Selection Committee chose the film after reviewing entries submitted for consideration.

Set in southwestern Nigeria in the 1990s, Dear Ajayi follows two estranged sisters, Ade and Titi, whose relationship is tested when their ailing mother comes to live with them. The film was written, directed and produced by Damilola Orimogunje.

The Dear Ajayi Oscars 2027 journey comes after the film gained attention at the 2026 Giornate degli Autori, where it won the Enrico Fulchignoni Prize and the Bisato d’Oro award for its cast and performances.

Being chosen as Nigeria’s submission matters because it gives the film the opportunity to compete for a place on the Academy’s shortlist. The Nigeria Oscars entry will now go through the Academy’s selection process alongside submissions from other countries.

However, the selection does not mean Dear Ajayi has already received an Oscar nomination. The Academy will first determine which films are eligible and which will advance to the shortlist before the final nominees are announced.

The development has also given Nigerian film lovers another reason to follow the country’s Oscar campaign. For the Nollywood Oscars conversation, having a locally produced story move into the international race puts another Nigerian film in front of the global film industry.

The Academy is expected to announce the 15-film shortlist on December 15, 2026, while the final nominations are scheduled for January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027.

For now, Dear Ajayi has one clear task ahead: make it through the Academy’s selection process and take Nigeria’s latest Oscar hopes one step further.