The 91st Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films of 2018. The ceremony will be held on February 24, 2019 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. AMPAS will present Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.
Four Nigerians and members of the Academy will determine who wins the 2019 Oscars.The four Nigerians are some of the 928 artists and executives that have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
The four Nigerians are:
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was invited to join the Academy under the ‘Actor’ category in 2018. She was recognised for her roles in two Nollywood blockbusters, ‘Last Flight to Abuja,’ and ‘A Private Storm.’ Omotola was welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in 2018 and had participated in the voting of final nominees of the Oscar award, which was released on January 22, 2019. Omotola will be casting her vote this week to determine who wins what at the Academy Awards.
Wunmi Mosaku
In the same ‘Actors’ category, a Nigerian-born British actress, Wunmi Mosaku was invited to become a member of the Academy.
The 32-year-old actress, who had won the 2017 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress was recognised by the Academy for her roles in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’ Just like Omotola, Mosaku was welcomed into the Academy in 2018 and had participated in the voting of final nominees of the Oscar award, which was released on January 22, 2019. She will also be casting her vote this week to determine who wins what at the Academy Awards.
Femi Odugbemi
For the director of TV series, ‘Battleground’ and ‘Tinsel,’ Femi Odugbemi was invited to join the Academy under the ‘Documentary’ category in 2018. Odugbemi works, ‘Literature, Language, and Literalism,’ and ‘Bariga Boy,’ were recognised by the Academy after which he was welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in 2018. Odugbemi had participated in the voting of final nominees of the Oscar award, which was released on January 22, 2019. He will also join other members of the Academy to cast his vote this week to determine who wins what at the Academy Awards.
Ngozi Onwurah
The fourth Nigerian is Ngozi Onwurah. The 53-year-old is a British-Nigerian film director, producer, model, and lecturer.
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Ngozi was recognized by the Academy in the ‘short film and feature animation’ section for her two films, ‘Hang Time,’ and ‘The Body Beautiful.’ Like her compatriots, Ngozi had participated in the voting of final nominees of the Oscar award, which was released on January 22, 2019. She will also join other members of the Academy to cast her vote this week to determine who wins what at the Academy Awards.
