The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been criticised after it banned Nigeria's first-ever Best International Feature Film submission for the Oscars.
Lionheart, which was directed by, and stars Genevieve Nnaji, was disqualified by the Academy because it did not meet the criteria for the category.
Entries must be predominantly in a foreign language, and Lionheart is mostly in English, apart from an 11-minute section which is in Nigeria's Igbo language.
Currently, the rules stipulate that an international film must exceed 40 minutes, be produced outside of America, and have a predominantly non-English script.
In a statement the Academy said: "In April 2019, we announced that the name of the Foreign Language Film category changed to International Feature Film. We also confirmed that the rules for the category would not change.
"The intent of the award remains the same – to recognize accomplishment in films created outside of the United States in languages other than English.
"As this year's submitted films were evaluated, we discovered that Lionheart includes only 11 minutes of non-English dialogue, which makes it ineligible for this award category."
Lionheart had not been checked by the Academy's foreign-language committee when the original list of qualifying films was announced at the start of October.
The film tells the story of Adaeze Obiagu, a woman in a male-dominated industry who steps up to run her father's company when he falls sick.
Taking to Twitter to respond to The Academy's decision Nnaji said: "I am the director of Lionheart. This movie represents the way we speak as Nigerians.
"This includes English which acts as a bridge between the 500+ languages spoken in our country; thereby making us #OneNigeria.
"It's no different to how French connects communities in former French colonies.
"We did not choose who colonized us. As ever, this film and many like it, is proudly Nigeria."
1/1 1/2 Thank you so much @ava❤️.
— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) November 4, 2019
I am the director of Lionheart. This movie represents the way we speak as Nigerians. This includes English which acts as a bridge between the 500+ languages spoken in our country; thereby making us #OneNigeria. @TheAcademy https://t.co/LMfWDDNV3e
DuVernay, director of Selma and A Wrinkle in Time, addressed the Academy directly in a tweet.
She said: "You disqualified Nigeria's first-ever submission for Best International Feature because its in English. But English is the official language of Nigeria.
"Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language?"
Lionheart is currently streaming on Netflix.
