Nigerian Veteran Nollywood Actress, Genevieve Nnaji, is excited as her movie ‘LionHeart’ was nominated for the 2020 Oscars in the category of Best International Film.
The actress, who could not hide her joy, took to her instragram page to react to the nomination and also appreciates her fans for their wonderful support.
“The Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee has chosen @lionheartthemovie to represent Nigeria for the 2020 Academy Award for Best International Film!
“This is the first entry ever for Nigeria. It’s an honour to be a part of such a pivotal moment in the history of Nigerian cinema.
“A moment we know will be replicated as our stories continue to resonate with audiences around the world.
“On behalf of the entire LIONHEART team and TEN Productions, we are grateful for this recognition and proud to carry the torch. Thank you all for the love and support thus far,” she wrote.
Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC) had on Wednesday picked Genevieve’s ‘Lionheart’ as the country’s submission to the International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars.
The group also announced the selection following a statutory vetting and subsequent voting of entries received from Nigerian filmmakers at home and in the diaspora.
The movie ‘LionHeart’, which happens to be the first ever entry for Nigeria, was Produced by Chinny Onwugbenu and directed by Genevieve Nnaji.
The movie was premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was acquired on September 7, 2018 as first Netflix original film produced in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that since the inauguration of the NOSC in 2014, this is the first time Nigeria is advancing a film to the Oscar, adding that previous entries did not meet basic criteria.
LionHeart is a 2018 Nigerian drama film that featured some Nigerian movie icons like Pete Edochie,Genevieve Nnaji, Nkem Owoh, and music icon Onyeka Onwenu, etc.
The movie was Nnaji’s directorial debut as well as Peter Okoye’s acting debut and was released worldwide on Jan. 4 on Netflix.(NAN)