Filmmaker Stephanie Linus has shed light on why My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr., was not submitted to the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Oscars.
Speaking during a panel session on Tuesday at the Nigeria Film and Videos Censor Board’s 5th Peace Anyam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference (PAO-NDCRC) at Muson Centre, Lagos, Stephanie noted that some filmmakers “don’t identify with the Nigerian film industry yet latch onto the Nigerian name to promote their films.”
According to the 43-year-old, the film, co-directed by Akinola Jr. and Wale Davies, “doesn’t entirely identify with the Nigerian film industry but only latches onto the country’s name to propagate the film.” She added that while the film has been classified as the first Nigerian film to appear at Cannes, it is “a Nigeria story, but it’s not Nigerian money.”
Stephanie further revealed that when the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee called for entries, the filmmakers chose to submit the film through another country. She explained, “Nigeria is not your money. You did not fund the film. The people who funded the film… It’s a Nigeria story, but it’s not Nigerian money.”
Moderating the session, Steve Ayorinde asked, “Why was it announced in Cannes as the first Nigerian film?” Stephanie responded, “Maybe it’s a mistake. The producers did not know that they were going to announce it as a Nigerian film. So if you want your film to be… do the funding, you cannot come and benefit when you do not provide money to make the film. What if the filmmaker did not make the film? That’s why they did not submit it.”
She added, “They did not submit it to the Nigerian Oscars committee because it was not a Nigerian film. So it was not even submitted. No, but it’s true. It was not submitted.”
When Ayorinde asked if the film could have qualified as a Nigerian entry, Stephanie explained, “No, I’m not just saying that. The people who gave you money for your film are saying they are the ones who own your film. They gave you money because they want it to go through their own industry. So they don’t even give you permission to even put it in your own industry. So what are you going to do about it? And if they don’t submit, how are you going to make a selection?”
My Father’s Shadow made history as the first Nigerian film to be an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
However, it was submitted as the official entry for the United Kingdom in the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, rather than for Nigeria.
