Omotola, Others Get Invite To Join Oscar Awards Voters

Beautiful Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde aka ‘Omosexy’ and Femi Odugbemi have been given a membership invitation to the 2018 Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science popularly known as the Oscars.

The Academy has invited a record 928 new members. That number is higher than the 774 invitations sent out in 2017 as the Academy has sought to diversify its ranks.

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The Academy was recently criticised for being “too white” and this move is geared at diversity by giving new invitations to women and people of colour all over the world.

With the invitation, they will be sent screeners of movies in awards contention every year end and be eligible to vote for nominees and eventual winners as well.

It is the world’s preeminent movie-related organisation, comprised of over eight thousand accomplished men and women working in cinema.

Academy membership is limited to film artists working in the production of theatrically-released motion pictures.

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According to the list, Omotola’s invitation stemmed from the recognition she got in the 2010 romantic drama ‘A Private Storm’ and the 2012 thriller ‘Last Flight to Abuja’.

The academy has 17 branches ranging from actors, writers and two categories that involve members-at-large and associates to accommodate individuals who have no defined branches in motion picture.

Meanwhile, an elated Odugbemi shared the news of his invitation into the academy on Monday.

He wrote: “So today, I received a formal invitation to become a voting member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States. Honoured!”

Odugbemi, who studied film and television at The Montana State University, has scripted, directed and produced numerous documentaries, short films and drama.

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He produced Tinsel, a widely acclaimed soap opera that started airing in August 2008.

The producer’s filmmaking credits include ‘Gidi Blues’, ‘Battleground’, ‘Maroko’ and ‘Bariga Boy’.

Odugbemi was the president of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) in 2002, a tenure that ended in 2006.

The two other Nigerians invited include Wunmi Mosaku, a film producer, and Ngozi Onwurah, a director.

Mosaku is a Nigerian-born British actress who won the 2017 BAFTA TV Award for best-supporting actress for her role as Gloria Taylor in the TV film ‘Damilola, Our Loved Boy’.

Onwurah is a Nigerian-born British producer, director and lecturer who won the best short film at the Melbourne Film Festival, Australia and best documentary at the Montreal Film Festival, Canada for ‘The Body Beautiful’.

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