My Father's Shadow

1993, Lagos. Two small brothers spend a day with their father. He has been away from them for a long time and that day they go into the city: to collect money he is owed, deal with a few things and be home by evening. On the same day the election results in Nigeria are annulled. The tension in the streets rises and the way home closes. Akinola Davies Jr. directs, from a screenplay written with his brother Wale Davies. Sope Dirisu plays the father. The narrative is semi autobiographical and takes place across a single day. The 1993 election is a breaking point in Nigerian history. The vote, held to be the country's most participatory, was annulled by the military government and a crisis lasting years followed; the film takes that day on directly. It is a British and Nigerian co-production. It had its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes film festival on 18 May 2025, becoming the first Nigerian film in the Official Selection, and received a Special Mention for the Caméra d'Or. It won a number of awards including the BAFTA for outstanding debut, a British Independent Film Award and two Gotham nominations. It opened in Nigeria on 19 September 2025. The narrative does not explain the politics; everything exists as far as the children can see it, and what the father is doing is never fully clear. Who it is for: viewers who like African cinema and historical film told from a child's view. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, little happens, and some scenes are incomplete without the historical context.