The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has announced that the country will not be submitting a film for consideration in the International Feature Film (IFF) category at the 2026 Academy Awards.

In a statement released on Monday, NOSC Chairperson, Stephanie Linus, disclosed that six films were entered following the committee’s call for submissions in August. However, after deliberations at a meeting held on September 26, members voted by majority to make “No Submission,” thereby ending the process.

“While Nigerian films have no doubt shown significant improvement and growing awareness of IFF standards, there is still a deficit in creative and technical intentionality that will improve their competitive potential for global awards,” Linus said.

She added that the decision had already been communicated to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Linus expressed regret that no Nigerian film met the threshold for submission this year but assured that the NOSC would adopt more proactive measures to support filmmakers in producing works that meet international standards.

“This is why the NOSC will be taking more proactive steps to encourage filmmakers to create with the Oscars in mind,” she said, urging practitioners to study past IFF-nominated works to better understand the category’s requirements.

The IFF Award, formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film, is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains at least 50 per cent non-English dialogue.