My Father’s Shadow, the very first Nigerian feature to be selected at Cannes, takes place in Lagos as the country teeters on the edge of chaos ahead of a landmark presidential election – the first since a military takeover a decade earlier.
British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr delivers a striking debut: a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story in which an estranged father leads his two sons on a journey through the city’s streets.
Special Mention of the Caméra d’or – Cannes 2025.
Crédits
Interprètes
Sophie Dirisu, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo
Screenplay
Wale Davies, Akinola Davies JrImage
Jermaine EdwardsEditing
Omar Guzmán CastroSound
CJ Mirra, James RidgwayMusic
Duval TimothyProduction
The British Film Institute, British Broadcasting Corporation, Fremantle, The Match Factory, Element Pictures, Fatherland ProductionsSéances
Cinéma Le Royal VOSTF + STA - Salle 1
Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2025
La Caméra d'Or Special Mention
Akinola Davies Jr
Akinola Davies Jr is a Nigerian filmmaker, screenwriter, DJ, and radio host based in London. He won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and received a BAFTA nomination for his short film Lizard in 2021. His debut feature My Father’s Shadow, selected for Un Certain Regard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, was awarded a Special Mention of the Caméra d’Or.
Contact
Distribution : Le Pacte