It may come as a surprise to you that some Nigerians are a part of the team involved in determining those who would be winners at the 2019 Oscars.
As you may already know, the 91st edition of the Academy Awards is set to take place on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, U.S.
What you may not already know is that these Nigerians are a part of the Academy and are part of the 928 artists and executives who have outstanding by their contributions to movie productions.
Meet the four Nigerians who are a part of the Oscars Academy
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
Following recognition for her roles in two Nollywood blockbusters, ‘Last Flight to Abuja,’ and ‘A Private Storm,’ Omotola received an invitation to join the Academy under the ‘Actor’ category in 2018.
The veteran Nollywood actress was received at the Academy during an invitation-only reception in 2018 and reportedly took part in the voting for the final Oscar award nominees.
The list was later released on January 22, 2019. Meanwhile, Omotola voting again this week to determine some of the winners at the Academy Awards.
Femi Odugbemi
Responsible for the direction of TV series such as ‘Battleground’ and ‘Tinsel,’ Odugbemi, was invited to join the Academy under the ‘Documentary’ category last year.
Following the recognition of some of his works, ‘Literature, Language, and Literalism,’ and ‘Bariga Boy,’ he was welcomed into the Academy at the same invitation-only reception in 2018 and also participated in voting the final nominees of the Oscar awards and will similarly be casting his vote this week.
Ngozi Onwurah
British-Nigerian film director, producer, model, and lecturer, Onwurah was recognized by the Academy in the ‘short film and feature animation’ section for two of her films, ‘Hang Time,’ and ‘The Body Beautiful.’
The 53-year-old also took part in the voting of the final nominees of the Oscar award, and will also be joining other members of the Academy to cast her vote this week.
Wunmi Mosaku
The Nigerian-born British actress, Mosaku was also invited to become a member of the Academy under the same ‘Actors’ category as was Omotola.
The 32-year-old winner of the 2017 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress, was recognized by the Academy for her roles in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’
Just like Omotola and the three other Nigerians who have become parts of the Academy, Mosaku participated in the voting of final nominees and will be casting her vote this week as well.
What can we say? May the best men and women win!
