A new wave of Nigerian cinema has officially arrived. Director Akinola Davies Jr.’s debut feature, My Father’s Shadow, has done what no other Nigerian film has done before: it was selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection (Un Certain Regard) and earned the coveted Caméra d’Or Special Mention. More than just a festival triumph, this poignant and visually arresting drama is now returning for its highly anticipated Nigerian premiere, setting a bold new standard for arthouse storytelling from the continent.
The film, which has been hailed by critics as a “visual archive of Nigeria’s history,” is an intimate, semi-autobiographical journey, co-written by Davies and his brother, Wale Davies. It is a profound meditation on memory, identity, fatherhood and nationhood, meticulously set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent years in Nigeria’s modern history: 1993.
My Father’s Shadow chronicles a single, life-altering day where two young brothers, Remi and Akin (played with remarkable naturalism by real-life siblings Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo), spend a rare and fleeting 24 hours with their father, Folarin (portrayed by the commanding British-Nigerian actor, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù). The day begins as an exciting, bewildering journey from their rural village into the chaotic, electric heart of Lagos.
For Remi and Akin, the trip is their first glimpse of the sprawling metropolis, a journey marked by vivid, fragmented images of a bustling city: the endless traffic of Okada (motorcycle taxis), the majestic Lagos Central Mosque, the architectural icon of the National Theatre, amusement park and street vendors selling everything from food to fuel. But interwoven with these sights of awe are unsettling signs of a nation fracturing. The boys witness the ubiquitous rot imagery, a visual metaphor that permeates the film, from their unsweetened breakfast pap to the nation’s political decay. They are exposed to conversations about fuel scarcity and, chillingly, the mention of the Bonny Camp Massacre.
The film’s central emotional tension lies in the father’s quiet desperation. Folarin, a man affectionately or perhaps mysteriously referred to as “Kapo” by old acquaintances, is a struggling breadwinner, reportedly owed six months of wages. He is on a desperate mission to collect his pay, all while juggling the duty of care for his sons with the dark secrets of his past.
Director Akinola Davies Jr. consciously kept the fate of the father ambiguous, stating, “The main thing we wanted to focus on was remembering that these children spend the day with their father. How he died, where he died, we leave open to people’s imagination.” This focus turns the film from a standard drama into a moving, unreliable memoir, a son’s imaginative reconstruction of the man he barely knew and the events that consumed him. The boys are left to process adult struggles through their own lens, playing games like “Undertaker and Paul Bearer” or listing “wonder list” aspirations of what Lagos holds.
The personal father-son narrative is inextricably linked to the macro-political storm brewing in the background. The entire odyssey takes place against the backdrop of the fallout from the annulled 1993 presidential election, widely considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest. Conversations about M.K.O. Abiola and the military’s iron grip are constant, lending a high-stakes urgency to Folarin’s attempts to get his sons home safely. As Wale Davies, who co-wrote the script explained at the screening for the media, they needed a macro-level event to parallel the micro-level story of the family, reflecting the broader theme of nationhood and the concept of a “father of the nation.”
The choice to shoot the film on atmospheric 16mm grain using state-of-the-art technology contributes to the “living photograph” quality, immersing the viewer in the texture, heat and raw physicality of 1993 Lagos. It is an act of historical preservation, allowing a new generation to visually engage with a pivotal time often obscured by military rule. This is cinema as both therapy and history lesson.
The film’s groundbreaking success has been a major validation for the Nigerian creative industry. Produced by the award-winning, Lagos-based company Fatherland, cofounded by producer Funmbi Ogunbanwo and established to pioneer the Nigerian arthouse scene, the film was a true collaborative effort. The production was co-financed by international heavyweights like BBC Film and the BFI, proving that Nigerian-rooted stories can attract global investment without sacrificing their creative integrity.
Crucially, the film was brought to life by a shooting crew that was over 80% Nigerian, with the production enriching the local ecosystem and serving as a talent incubator. Fatherland discovered the film’s young stars through a street casting initiative, highlighting its commitment to fostering local talent both in front of and behind the camera.
My Father’s Shadow is both a cultural and economic milestone. It demonstrates how homegrown stories, told with an uncompromising, authentic Nigerian lens, can resonate universally. The film’s historic achievement at Cannes testifies to the nation’s wealth of skill, creativity, and technical expertise. As Fatherland executives have emphasised, they are committed to setting a standard for international African filmmaking and “inspiring the next wave of filmmakers; we are the first to get to Cannes and win but we don’t want to be the only.”
The film’s Nigerian premiere on September 19th no doubt marks a profound moment: the return of a globally celebrated masterpiece that serves as a collective family heirloom for the nation it portrays.
•Featured image by Lakin Ogunbanwo
