LionHeart And The Oscars Award
I have not watched Lion Heart, but anyone disqualifying a Nigerian movie, for an award, because it has too much English, is an educated illiterate on the history and culture of Nigeria. Like some good Americans, in Walmart, asking me about my country “Africa”, this Academy move demands a movie, to educate the members, about the world. Lion Heart producers and members, relax, you do not need Oscars to validate anything - Netflix had given the awards that matter!
Comment: The award it got disqualified from is for ‘best foreign language film’. The Academy expects movies in that category to have the greater percentage of their dialogue in a foreign language and not English. Beautiful movie, I wish it was all in Igbo. It would have lost little of its meaning and message.
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My Response: That is actually the problem. French movies make it. Do you see the advantage? My case is that the English spoken by Osuofia is not the American English, it is Nigerian English and that should qualify it just as French and Portuguese cross-border movies qualify. "Nigerian English" in a foreign lang in this case. No producer with an international mindset in Nigeria will make movies in Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba because the base is small, unlike French, Portuguese. To expect movies in Igbo, Hausa, Efik, just to win Oscars is unfortunate! Classify "Nigerian English" as foreign language because there is no choice!