CHECK OUT THE 4 NIGERIANS WHO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BECOME VOTING MEMBERS OF THE OSCARS
Following the backlash from the 2016’s #OscarsSoWhite this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences set its eyes on four roof shattering Nigerians who have made boss moves in the entertainment industry.
The Academy is seemingly trying to diversify its voting electorate and has sought to do so by beckoning on four well known Nigerians.
They have set their eyes on our own former cover girl, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Femi Odugbemi, Wunmi Mosaku and Nkiru Onwurah.
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
She is a renowned Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist, wife, and mother. Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, the leading actress has appeared in over 300 films. She has also received numerous high-profile awards while amassing an enviable fan base.
Apart from the accolades she has received from show business, she is also applauded for her remarkable humanitarian efforts. Omotola is one of the pioneers of the video film era of Nigerian cinema, becoming the most watched actress in Africa. In 2013, she was honoured in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world alongside Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, and Kate Middleton.
Femi Odugbemi
He is a Nigerian documentary filmmaker, Screenwriter, cinematographer, director, producer, and photographer. Some of his works include scripting and producing television series and feature films like Gidi Blues, Battleground, Maroko, Bariga Boy, and the M-Net hit drama Tinsel, 55-year-old Odugbemi is finally getting a deserved recognition. The filmmaker shared the good news of joining the 2018 voting class for The Academy on his Instagram, and a wave of congratulations poured in.
Wunmi Mosaku
She is a Nigerian-born British actress, she is popularly known for her roles as Joy in the BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones (2009) and Holly Lawson in the ITV series Vera (2011–12). She won the 2017 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gloria Taylor in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2016).
In 2010 Wunmi Mosaku was named one of The Seven Fresh Faces of Toronto International Film Festival, for I Am Slave, in which she starred. She plays Malia, a girl who has been kidnapped from her village in Sudan and sold into slavery. For her performance, Mosaku won awards such as Best Actress at the Birmingham Black Film Festival, Best Onscreen performance at the Cultural Diversity Awards and Best Female Performance at the Screen Nation Awards. In 2011 Mosaku joined Vera and played the role of Holly Lawson but left the show after just one year.
Nkiru Onwurah
She is a British-Nigerian film director, producer, model, and lecturer. Nkiru Onwurah is a director and producer par excellence. She is sturdy and canonical, most of her stories and works are centered around the human experience and women. Her famous film works include Coffee Coloured Children, And Still I Rise, The Body Beautiful, Monday’s Girls, Welcome II the Terrordome, The Desired Number to mention a few.
