My Father’s Shadow

MY FATHER’S SHADOW is a landmark: the first Nigerian film ever selected for Cannes (where it received a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or) and the semi-autobiographical feature debut of Akinola Davies.

Lagos, June 1993. As Nigeria teeters between military rule and democratic hope, young brothers Remi and Akin unexpectedly spend a day with their often-absent father Folarin, who travels to the city to collect unpaid wages. What begins as a practical trip becomes a turning point, as the boys come to see their father as a layered, complex man shaped by worry, loss, and a troubled past.

Through their eyes, Lagos unfolds as a sensory, overwhelming metropolis full of contrasts, where lightness and menace, warmth and violence coexist. At the same time, the film engages with themes of family, masculinity, and responsibility, raising questions about what children can expect from adults who are themselves searching for stability.

Davies, who co-wrote the script with his brother Wale, combines a poetic and tactile visual language with a strong sense of rhythm and perspective. Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (GANGS OF LONDON) delivers a compelling performance as a father who is both strict and vulnerable, alongside the natural chemistry of real-life brothers Godwin Chimerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvelous Egbo.

With great tenderness toward his characters and their environment, Davies explores how memories and cinema itself can function as spaces for connection, and as a way to honour the past and what remains out of reach.