Kenya will not be submitting a film for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, after the Kenya Oscar Selection Committee determined that none of this year’s entries met both eligibility standards.
This decision was made by the Kenya Oscar Selection Committee, under the oversight of the Kenya Film Commission.
Explaining the decision, Committee Chair Eddah Kiruhi said: “Our mandate is to select a film that meets the Academy’s eligibility rules while carrying the distinct voice of Kenyan cinema. No film was selected this year, but we remain committed to supporting submissions that can showcase Kenyan creativity and identity on the international stage.”
The Committee conducted its review on September 19 and 20, assessing five submitted films.
The review was guided by the Academy’s eligibility criteria outlined below:
- Demonstrable Kenyan creative control
- A seven-day commercial theatrical run
- A minimum runtime of 40 minutes
- Majority use of a non-English language
After thorough screening, the Committee found that none of the five films submitted met the requirements for entry.
This isn’t the first time the country has not submitted a film for Oscar consideration. In 2013, the Oscar committee also did not submit a film following their debut submission in 2012, “Nairobi Half Life.” The country is also not obligated to submit a film every year.
Kenya has made 9 submissions since 2012 but has never secured a nomination.
A list of recent submissions includes:
- 2017 (90th Oscars): “Kati Kati”
- 2018 (91st Oscars): “Supa Modo”
- 2019 (92nd Oscars): “Subira”
- 2020 (93rd Oscars): “The Letter”
- 2021 (94th Oscars): “Mission to Rescue”
- 2022 (95th Oscars): “TeraStorm” (an animated Kenyan submission)
- 2023 (96th Oscars): “Mvera”
- 2024 (97th Oscars) “Nawi”
