At the 98th Academy Awards this Sunday, two African women are poised to make history. British-Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku and Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania stand as the sole African female nominees this year, representing the continent in major categories.
Mosaku earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying film, Sinners. Playing Annie, a Hoodoo priestess, the role became a profound personal journey. Mosaku shared that researching the character deepened her connection to her Yoruba heritage and Nigerian spiritual practices, stating it reminded her of “where I’m from, my duty and purpose in this lineage.”
Meanwhile, Kaouther Ben Hania is nominated in the International Feature Film category for The Voice of Hind Rajab. The documentary is built around the harrowing real-life audio of a six-year-old girl trapped in Gaza, speaking to Red Crescent volunteers. Praised by Variety as “unavoidably devastating,” the film forces audiences to confront a brutal reality.
As two of the most exciting names to emerge from this awards season, both women are carrying the hopes of a continent, proving the power of African storytelling on the world stage.
