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Ava DuVernay Slams Academy After Nigeria's First Submitted Film Is Disqualified From Oscars For Having Too Much English

Brian Skellenger
Nov. 05, 2019
Ava DuVernay Slams Academy After Nigeria's First Submitted Film Is Disqualified From Oscars For Having Too Much English
JC Olivera/Getty Images

The 2020 Oscars race is already off to a controversial start thanks to a decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to disqualify the Nigerian film Lionheart for using too much English.

The Academy made the decision that the film, which made history as Nigeria's first-ever entry into the Best International Feature Film category (previously called Best Foreign Language Film), violates the rule that films must use "a predominantly non-English dialogue track."

Lionheart, in which a woman steps in to help run her ailing father's business in a male-dominated world, is indeed largely in English, along with the Nigerian language of Igbo.

But critics of the Academy's decision say that the move is unfair given that English is the official language of Nigeria.

When They See Us and A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay took to Twitter to blast the Academy, saying:

"To @TheAcademy, You disqualified Nigeria's first-ever submission for Best International Feature because its in English. But English is the official language of Nigeria. Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language?"

The disqualification is particularly notable given that the film's director and star, Genevieve Nnaji, was one of a record 29 female directors in the category of 93 films.

Nnaji also spoke out after the Academy's decision, defending and shedding light onto the way English is used in the film.


Many others also spoke up to make their displeasure with the Academy known.







While some argued that rules are rules, unfair as they may seem.




Lionheart isn't the only film that was disqualified from the category, albeit for different reasons.

Before the list of qualifying films was announced, Afghanistan's film Hava, Maryam, Ayesha had been deemed ineligible after concerns were raised about the legitimacy of the Afghan committee that submitted it to the Academy.

With Lionheart out of the running, top contenders in the Best International Feature Film category are expected to include Spain's Pain and Glory, South Korea's Parasite, and France's Les Miserables.

And while it may not come away with any coveted Oscars, you can still check out Lionheart, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

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