Damilola Orimogunje's Dear Ajayi has been chosen as Nigeria's entry for the Best International Feature Film category. Critics do not agree on whether it earns the attention. The Dear Ajayi Oscar submission comes with a mixed 3.2/5 review from Afrocritik, a week before the film opens nationwide on 13 November.
For Nigerian audiences, the timing offers a rare chance to weigh festival praise and an Oscar push against sharp criticism of the film's writing.
How Nigeria picked the Dear Ajayi Oscar submission
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) named the film as the country's official pick for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. That selection is only the first stage of the process. It is not an Oscar nomination, so the Dear Ajayi Oscar submission is still at its start.
Nigeria's previous entry in the category was Prince Daniel's Mai Martaba, submitted for the 97th Academy Awards in 2024. It did not advance, and there was no submission for the edition after that. This makes the Dear Ajayi Oscar submission the country's first in two cycles.
A Venice premiere and two prizes
At the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the film became the first Nigerian production to be admitted to the Venice Days competition, known as Giornate degli Autori. It went home with two honours. These were the Bisato d'Oro for Best Cast and Performances, and the 38th CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Prize, which comes with the Fellini Medal. Both now stand behind the Dear Ajayi Oscar submission.
The Bisato d'Oro jury, as reported by Spettacolo.eu, praised the ensemble for giving depth and authenticity to women divided between duty, desire and dignity. That praise is part of the case for the Dear Ajayi Oscar submission.
Orimogunje began developing the project around 2017. The film went into production in Ibadan in 2025 after eight years of development, and principal photography wrapped in July 2025. It is a Nigeria–Germany co-production with backing from the World Cinema Fund, Ouaga Film Lab, Nouveau Marché and Hubert Bals Fund+Europe. The dialogue runs across English, Yoruba, French and Igbo, all written by Orimogunje.
What Afrocritik made of it
The Afrocritik review, written by Joseph Jonathan after the Film Africa 2026 screening, gives the film 3.2 out of 5. It praises the cast and the visual craft but faults the script for losing sight of its central relationship.
The story is set in Ibadan during the closing years of the 1990s. It centres on Ade and Titi, sisters who have drifted apart until their mother's declining health brings them together again. They are played by Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi. The reviewer rates Akintola's performance as the most compelling, but says Adeyemi impresses just as much in a different way. William Benson also earns credit as Ade's husband, a painter who struggles to earn a living.
The cinematography of KC Obiajulu is described as beautifully considered, with the moonlit sequences singled out. The review concludes with a clear instruction to the writer:
"What Dear Ajayi needs is a screenplay as disciplined as its images, one willing to stay with its characters long enough to discover who they are beyond the suffering they endure."
The main criticism concerns how the film is built. According to the review, the story shifts its focus onto the men in the sisters' lives and onto a string of painful events. This leaves the sisters themselves with too little space. It adds that the film risks mistaking misery for depth.
A second critic raises similar doubts
Afrocritik is not alone. A rival review calls the film uneven rather than complex, and notes that it runs close to two hours. That critic also questions the 1990s timeline, pointing to an NTA broadcast that names Buhari as Head of State. The critic questions some of the film's economic detail as well.
Both reviews, then, find a technically accomplished film whose script does not always match its images.
The road to the Oscars
The festival run is not over. After Venice, the film is booked for the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival and for El Gouna. There it will make its North African premiere. Luminalia handles world sales.
The Academy's next major milestone for the category is the shortlist, due on 15 December. Until then, the nationwide release on 13 November gives Nigerian viewers their first chance to judge the film for themselves.
- Oscar selection: Nigeria's official entry, not a nomination.
- Venice honours: Bisato d'Oro and the Fulchignoni Prize.
- Critical reception: praise for performances and visuals, doubts about the screenplay.
- Next dates: nationwide release on 13 November, Oscar shortlist on 15 December.
