Genevieve Nnaji is an award winning Nigerian actress, producer, and director who is often described as the most popular actress in Nigeria. From her first role in the TV series Ripples to her decades of dominance in Nollywood (with 80 starring roles in two decades and Oprah Winfrey calling her the Julia Roberts of Africa) Nnaji has cemented herself as a central figure in the Nigerian film industry and an integral player in its reach outside of the African continent.
This year, she was selected as a member of the 2020 class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.. In 2018, the film Lionheart, which she directed and starred in, was acquired by Netflix, making it the first Netflix Original out of Nigeria. This year, Lionheart was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film as Nigeria’s first Oscars submission. However, the film was ultimately disqualified since the majority of the film is in English, while the Academy requires international submissions to have a majority of non-English dialogue.
Nnaji expressed disappointment with the decision, writing, “We did not choose who colonised us.” Although Lionheart lost out on the award opportunity, Nnaji believes the film’s Netflix acquisition will open up many other opportunities for Nigerian film, such as expanded viewership and funding opportunities from outside of the continent. Ultimately, Nnaji says she sees the deal as a “pivotal moment in the history of Nigerian cinema.”