Language and authenticity in New Nollywood films: Takes from the Nigerian Official Selection Committee for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

This article examines the linguistic and cultural politics surrounding New Nollywood’s pursuit of global recognition through the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (AABIFF). Using the disqualification of Nigeria’s first ever submission and the rejection of three Yoruba-language films by the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) as case studies, the article explores how language, the question of authenticity and institutional gatekeeping intersect in shaping the international trajectories of Nigerian cinema. The analysis situates these controversies within broader debates about the dominance of English in African cultural productions, the legacy of colonialism and the ongoing efforts to valorize indigenous languages in cinema. Through historical contexts, the article argues that while economic motivations and the desire for wider circulation partly drive the preference for English, indigenous linguistic endowments remain central to how authenticity in cinematic representations is constructed and interpreted. Using examples from Old Nollywood, the article ultimately calls for a renewed investment in Indigenous language films. It argues that this is both an aesthetic and a strategic choice, not just for AABIFF but also for repositioning Nigerian cinema within global circuits.