Following Nigeria’s last official submission to the Academy in 2024 and an absence in 2025, Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi has been selected as the country’s official pick for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Set in 1990s southwestern Nigeria, Dear Ajayi follows two estranged sisters, Ade and Titi Ajayi, whose lives intersect again when they are brought together to care for their paralysed mother following the death of their father. Ade is a devout Christian and the family’s breadwinner, while Titi is an aspiring singer whose independent lifestyle places her at odds with her sister.
Written and directed by Orimogunje with a cast led by Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi, supporting cast members include William Benson, Uzoamaka Power, Lanre Hassan, Michelle Dede, Antar Laniyan, Tope Tedela, Chioma Omeruah, Baaj Adebule, Kalu Ikeagwu and Iya Rainbow. Bose Oshin also produced, while K.C. Obiajulu served as cinematographer and Re Olunuga composed the film score.
So, a bit about the film’s journey, so far.
Orimogunje began developing Dear Ajayi around 2017, with the screenplay subsequently passing through development programmes and workshops including Ouaga Film Lab, Sud Écriture, Berlinale’s Strategic Audience Design Lab and Nouveau Marché in Montréal. The film eventually went into production in Ibadan in 2025, after eight years of development.
The co-production between 2o9ine Films, Depth and Optics Productions and Germany’s Mayana Films wrapped principal photography in July 2025, receiving backing from institutions like the World Cinema Fund, Ouaga Film Lab, Nouveau Marché and Hubert Bals Fund+Europe. Italian sales company Luminalia boarded the film for international sales ahead of Venice.
The film’s international breakthrough came in July 2026, when it was announced as the first Nigerian film selected for the Giornate degli Autori, a parallel section that takes place during the Venice International Film Festival. It won the Bisato d’Oro Award for Best Cast and Performances, the 38th CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Prize including the Fellini Medal for its artistic portrayal of human and cultural values.
Following Venice, Dear Ajayi opened in select Nigerian cinemas on September 18 ahead of a wider release on November 13 under FilmOne distribution. It is also continuing its festival journey, with screenings in Rio, El Gouna (North African premiere) and Film Africa already confirmed.
Nigeria’s last entry in the IFF category was Prince Daniel’s Mai Martaba, submitted for the 97th Academy Awards in 2024 but did not advance further.
Dear Ajayi will now enter the Academy’s International Feature Film race for the 99th Oscars. Nigeria’s selection is only the first stage of the process and does not constitute an Oscar nomination.
Under new Academy rules, International Feature Film nominees will now be credited to the films themselves rather than their submitting countries, with the director accepting the award on behalf of the film’s creative team.
As the main ceremony inches closer, the Academy will announce the Oscars shortlists on December 15, 2026. Nominations will follow on January 21, 2027, while the 99th Oscars ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
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