Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi has been selected as Nigeria’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

The selection was announced by the Nigerian Official Selection Committee this weekend, alongside the filmmaker and the film’s distributor, FilmOne.

The film follows two estranged sisters who are forced to care for their paralysed mother, with Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi in the lead roles. Dear Ajayi has already generated significant buzz after winning two awards at Venice Days.

The film is set for a wider theatrical release in Nigeria on November 13, while the 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.