On May 18, Akinola Davies Jr.’s debut feature, My Father’s Shadow, premiered to critical acclaim at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. It is Nigeria’s first film to be selected as part of the Official Selection, showing in the Un Certain Regard section, where Davies Jnr has the chance to follow Rungano Nyoni’s Best Director win last year, thus giving Africa back-to-back Best Director wins in the section.
Before that particular award is announced, though, Hollywood and UK publications have been unanimous in praise. Deadline described the film as “one of the most moving and universally relevant and emotional films of any in this year’s fest”.
“It’s an eye-catching and accomplished debut from Davies,” Screen Daily said, praising the film as a “thrillingly vital account of the moment when everything changes.”
In a positive review for the Guardian, longtime critic Peter Bradshaw said, “Akinola Davies Jr makes a strong directorial debut with this deft and intriguing tale of an absent father briefly reunited with his two young sons”, calling the film a “transparently personal project and a coming-of-age film.”
Thomas Page, a reporter for CNN, hailed the film as important for Nigerian cinema, saying on X that he can “finally talk about MY FATHER’S SHADOW. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The lyricism of Akinola Davies Jr’s storytelling and the way he presents Lagos on the big screen is thrilling. [Sope] Dirisu is heartbreaking. A game changer for Nigerian cinema.”
Davies Jr. co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Wale Davies. The film was produced by Element Pictures in collaboration with Fatherland Productions, BBC Film, and the British Film Institute. It features a predominantly African cast and crew.
The film’s distributor, MUBI, had acquired rights for North America and other territories even before the Cannes announcement, indicating confidence in its global appeal.
My Father’s Shadow stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo, Akerele David, Owa Orire Jeremiah, Winifred Efon, Olarotimi Fakunle, Greg “Teddy Bear” Ojefua, Tosin Adeyemi, Marta Ehinome, Ayo Lijadu, and Patrick Diabuah. Set during Nigeria’s 1993 presidential election, the film follows two young brothers who embark on a journey with their estranged father, Folarin, portrayed by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.
