2:56
\"Lionheart,\" which is available on Netflix, stars Genevieve Nnaji as Adaeze, a woman who takes over her father's company, which is ruled by a group of men, including her incompetent uncle.
Nnaji, who also directed the film, took to Twitter to address the Academy's disqualification and thank DuVernay for speaking out.
\"I am the director of Lionheart,\" she wrote. \"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.\"
She continued, \"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 Nigerian. @TheAcademy.\"
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
2/2 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 Nigerian. @TheAcademy https://t.co/LMfWDDNV3e
— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) November 4, 2019
ABC News' Lesley Messer contributed to this report.
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