Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut movie, Lionheart, has been dropped out from the Oscars race – On Monday, November 4, 2019.
It was revealed that Lionheart was dropped from Oscars because it was made in English dialogue. According to the Academy Awards, motion pictures in the International Feature Film class ought to have a predominantly non-English dialogue.
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However, it appears the movie didn’t make the cut and was dropped even before voters in the Best International Feature Film class got an opportunity to see it. As indicated by The Wrap, the Academy revealed that Lionheart didn’t meet the necessary language since it was generally in English.
Lionheart is a Nigerian movie mainly produced in English and Igbo language. However it appears that it is not enough because the Academy requires a film to have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track” to be included in the Best International Feature Film category.
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Loinheart being disqualified from the Oscars race has reduced the number of movies competing for this category to 92 and also reduced the number of female directors to 28.
Genevieve Nnaji whose directing career started with Lionheart has reacted to the disqualification, stating that Lionheart is very much a Nigerian movie even though it was predominantly done in English. She stated that English is the lingua in Nigeria as it brings people together in a country of over 500 languages are spoken as well.
1/1 1/2 Thank you so much @ava❤️.
I am the director of Lionheart. This movie represents the way we speak as Nigerians. This includes English which acts as a bridge between the 500+ languages spoken in our country; thereby making us #OneNigeria. @TheAcademy https://t.co/LMfWDDNV3e— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) November 4, 2019
2/2 It’s no different to how French connects communities in former French colonies. We did not choose who colonized us. As ever, this film and many like it, is proudly Nigerian. @TheAcademy https://t.co/LMfWDDNV3e
— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) November 4, 2019
