My Father's Shadow is a 2025 drama film directed by Akinola Davies Jr., in his feature length film debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Wale Davies. Starring Sope Dirisu, it follows a family reunion during the 1993 Nigerian election.[3][4] It was theatrically released in Nigeria on 19 September 2025 by FilmOne Entertainment.
The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May,[5] becoming the first Nigerian film to be selected for the festival's Official Selection. It won the Special Mention for the Caméra d'Or.[6]
Two young brothers are playing in a house on the Nigerian countryside when they unexpectedly run into their father, Folarin. After the youngest son, Aki, begs for Folarin to spend more time with him, he agrees to bring them along to his work in Lagos. The family board a minibus, but it soon runs out of fuel and they are forced to hitchhike the rest of the way to Lagos. Once there, Folarin introduces his sons to his workplace, where it is revealed he has not been paid for six months. After a colleague tells Folarin that their manager should be back by nightfall, Folarin resolves to stick around Lagos with his children until then.
Walking the city streets, Folarin and the children notice the persistent presence of the military. They do various activities together, visiting an amusement park, enjoying street food and swimming at the beach. Throughout the day, Folarin suffers from unexplained nosebleeds. He bonds with his children, teaching them the value of fraternal love and explaining that in his childhood, his own brother died from drowning. Afterwards, Folarin kept seeing visions of his brother's restless spirit, but the vision subsided when Folarin named his son Remi after his brother.
As evening falls, the family returns to Folarin's workplace, where the manager has still not shown up. Folarin's colleague invites the family to go to a café with him, where they drink palm wine and watch a televised announcement about the 1993 Nigerian presidential election. Folarin's children learn that their father is having an affair with Abike, a young woman working at the café. When the Nigerian military announces that they have annulled the election, the café devolves into chaos as people angrily take to the streets. Folarin quickly flees the scene with his sons and tries to bring them home, but they are stopped at a military checkpoint by an aggressive soldier who claims to recognize Folarin from a violent incident in the previous week. Folarin's nose bleeds heavily and they are eventually allowed to pass.
Some time later, Folarin has died and Aki, Remi and their mother attend his funeral.[8]
The film is produced by Element Pictures and directed by Akinola Davies Jr. from a script he co-wrote with Wale Davies. It is produced in association with Crybaby and Fatherland Productions. It was developed by BBC Film, who were a co-financer, and the BFI. Producers are Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures and Funmbi Ogunbanwo for Fatherland Productions.[9]
The Davies brothers developed the idea for the film over more than a decade, drawing inspiration from the loss of their father when they were both very young. In 2012, Wale wrote the first draft of the script, which centers on two brothers spending a day in Lagos with their father on the day of Nigeria's historic 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as a turning point in the nation’s contemporary history.[10]
The streaming service Mubi acquired distribution rights for North America, the U.K., Ireland, and Turkey in February 2025.[4] The film is set to be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 6 February 2026.[14]
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 97% based on 33 critical reviews; the website's critical consensus reads, "Weaving high-stakes political commentary with rich personal dynamics that are bolstered by Sope Dirisu's commanding performance, My Father's Shadow casts a highly promising light on feature-debut director Akinola Davies' future."
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