the Milkmaid, which was selected as Nigeria’s choice for the 93rd
Oscars
“The Milkmaid” is Nigeria’s official submission for the
93rd Academy Awards in the International Feature Film (IFF)
category of the Oscars.
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) announced the
selection on Tuesday.
The NOSC said it received several entries, out which six films –
“Sanitation Day”, “Voiceless”, “Oloture”, “Ibi” (The Birth), “The
Milkmaid” and “Eyimofe” – sailed through the first vetting
exercise.
At the final stage, “The Milkmaid” scored overwhelming majority
votes.
Written, produced and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele, “The
Milkmaid” is a Hausa language-based thriller on insurgency,
especially as it affects women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Inspired by the image on Nigeria’s 10 Naira note, the film tells
the story of a Fulani milkmaid who confronts religious extremists
in a rural African community, in a quest to locate her missing
sister, and how efforts to recapture her disrupted past prove
complicated.
The film was selected by the 12-man NOSC, having followed the
prescribed procedures by the Academy, subject to further
determination by the IFF Executive Committee.
“The Milkmaid” was voted by seven of nine voting-NOSC members.
NOSC states that three members were considered ineligible, due to
their affiliation with some of the films in competition, in line
with the Academy’s rules. It describes the process of selection as
intense, democratic, and a worthy development for the Nigerian film
industry.
Shot on location in Taraba State, North-East Nigeria, “The
Milkmaid” stars popular northern Nigerian actress, Maryam Booth,
alongside Ibrahim Jammal, Anthonieta Kalunta, and Gambo Usman Kona
among others. The film owes its other credits to New Jersey-based
surgeon, Oluseun Sowemimo as Executive Producer, Yinka Edward for
Cinematography, Chuka Ejorh for Editing, Pat Nebo for Production
Design, and Hakeem Onilogbo for Special Effects.
Screened in cinemas in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe, “The
Milkmaid” is an authentic and riveting Nigerian story with global
relevance. It commands beautiful acting, ace directing, and great
cinematography. The film is Ovbiagele’s sophomore, having written,
produced and directed the award-winning “Render to Caesar” in
2014.
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The 12-man NOSC is headed by, filmmaker and education
administrator, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi. Other members include
filmmaker and Chairman of Audio-Visual Rights Society (AVRS) of
Nigeria, Mahmood Ali-Balogun; Filmmaker/Talent Manager, Mildred
Okwo; Filmmaker/Author, Charles Novia; veteran actress turned
filmmaker, Ego Boyo; notable Director and Cinematographer,
Adetokunbo ‘DJ Tee’ Odubawo; Theatre Practitioner and Head of
Production for M-NET West Africa, Yibo Koko; Group Executive
Director of Filmhouse Cinemas and Managing Director of FilmOne
Entertainment, Moses Babatope; CEO of Legend Box Office, Bruce
Ayonote; Filmmaker and Founder, In-Short Film Festival, Victor
Okhai; notable actress and producer, Omoli Oboli and
Journalist/Film Critic, Shaibu Husseini.
According to Anyaene-Abonyi, there is a significant improvement
in the quality of films received this year. “The Academy’s approved
parameters had to be diligently followed to select the country’s
entry without prejudice. And I must say that the Nigerian film
industry is awakened to the internationally acceptable requirements
for film production, though there would always be room for
improvement in order to increase our competitive outlook every
year,” she said.
The 93rd edition of the Academy Awards is scheduled to hold on
April 25th. Last year, Nigeria’s official submission, “Lionheart”,
was disqualified for not meeting the non-English dialogue criteria,
leading to the controversy on whether or not Nigerian pidgin should
not be considered a local language. Although that rule has been
reviewed, giving approval for dialogues in pidgin, “The Milkmaid”,
shot with Hausa, Fulfulde and Arabic dialogues appears to have been
made with the original Academy rules in mind and had not left
anything to chance.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/12/02/the-milkmaid-selected-as-nigerias-entry-for-93rd-oscars/