‘The Milkmaid’, Nigeria’s official selection for the Oscars in the International Feature Film (IFF) category, has been dropped from the race.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) confirmed this to Channels Television on Wednesday.
According to the spokesperson, Victor Akande, the Milkmaid was among 93 movies that had initially been eligible but it did not make it to the final shortlist of 15.
“This is to thank you for your help towards the journey of “The Milkmaid” movie in this year’s Oscars.
“It is unfortunate that we (Nigeria) couldn’t make it to the next shortlist, but it was indeed a worthy attempt, and we can only say: “Tomorrow’s another day.”
“It is our belief that Nigeria will come out even stronger next year, and we will continue to count on your support.
“On behalf of the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) and the team of “The Milkmaid”, I say thank you once again”.
A First Time Feat
The official acceptance of the film by the Academy is a first-time feat for Nigeria at the Oscars, having disqualified “Lionheart”, the country’s first submission in 2019 on the basis of language defect.
Another shortlist is expected to be released in March, ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony on April 25, 2021.
Written, produced and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele, “The Milkmaid” is a Hausa language-based thriller on insurgency, especially as it affects women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Inspired by the image on Nigeria’s 10 Naira note, the film tells the story of a Fulani milkmaid who confronts extremists in a rural African community, in a quest to locate her missing sister, and how efforts to recapture her disrupted past prove complicated.