Nollywood to miss out on 2026 Oscars representation

By Tosin Brown –

The Nigerian film industry, widely referred to as Nollywood, will be missing out at the 2026 Oscars.

This was confirmed by the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC), the body responsible for submitting a Nigerian film for the globally acclaimed awards ceremony.

The NOSC recently announced that Nigeria will not submit any film for the International Feature Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards.

In a statement on Monday, NOSC Chairperson Stephanie Linus explained that the committee opened its call for entries in August and received six films for consideration.

However, at a meeting on September 26, the NOSC voted by majority to make “No Submission,” effectively ending the selection process, Linus added.

“While Nigerian films have no doubt shown significant improvement and growing awareness of IFF standards, there is still a deficit in creative and technical intentionality that will improve their competitive potential for global awards,” Linus said.

Linus also communicated the committee’s decision to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences while expressing regret that no Nigerian film was deemed suitable for the category ahead of the ceremony scheduled to hold on Monday, March 16, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.

“This is why the NOSC will be taking more proactive steps to encourage filmmakers to create with the Oscars in mind,” Linus stated.

Linus, who has made a name for herself as an established actor and filmmaker, encouraged Nigerian filmmakers to study previous IFF-nominated works to deepen their understanding of the category’s expectations and strengthen future submissions.

The International Feature Film award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains at least 50 percent non-English dialogue.