My Father’s Shadow: A Cinematic Journey Through Family And Nigeria’s Past

Noth American Premiere at TIFF 2025

Winner of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes, My Father’s Shadow marks the extraordinary feature debut of Akinola Davies Jr. Co-written with his brother Wale Davies, the film unfolds in 1993 Lagos during a turbulent national election that promised to transition Nigeria from military rule to democracy. What emerges is a deeply personal and emotionally resonant story of two young brothers who spend a single day reconnecting with their distant father, against the backdrop of a city — and a country — on the cusp of fragile transformation.

A Story Rooted in Memory and History

During the post-screening conversation at TIFF, Davies explained that the film draws heavily from family recollections, folklore, and the broader political context of Nigeria in the early 1990s. “Most of it is based on memories, based on stories that we've been told from family — memory of our father, stuff from our mother. So it's a combination of a lot of memories and equally the political context within which the film is set."

Wale Davies added that the film’s emotional core also lies in questioning memory itself: “When you lose a parent very early, you’re not sure if the memories are yours, or if you’ve co-opted them from your mother or family members. Your recollection becomes pieced together from stories, and at the same time you’re exploring the concept of nationhood — almost as if your country owes you some sort of parenting, a promise of a better nation."

Casting and Performances

At the heart of My Father’s Shadow is Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù’s quietly riveting portrayal of Folarin, the father whose presence is both tough and tender. His grounding performance anchors first-time actors Godwin Chiemerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvelous Egbo, who play the brothers.

Davies recalled the discovery process: “We needed someone who had the physical presence, but also a certain softness to him. Ṣọpẹ́ really became a guiding hand for the boys, who had never acted before. We lucked out with them — they just had a lot of character between them."

The surprise came when the team realized during workshops that the two young actors were actually siblings. “We just thought these two kids had amazing chemistry,” Wale said. “Then we found out they were brothers, and their mom is an actor too. That explained a lot."

Lagos as a Living Character

The film’s visual language is as intentional as its storytelling. Davies emphasized that Lagos itself is a character: “If you’ve ever been to Lagos, it’s a character. We wanted to latch onto the rhythm and pace — the peaceful aspect that in the blink of an eye can become frenetic and chaotic."

Working with cinematographer Jermaine Edwards, also on his first feature, the team captured images rarely seen in Nigerian cinema: birds, ants, lingering close-ups on faces. “Nigerian faces, African faces, carry so much story, so much history within them,” Akinola said. “It was a pleasure and an honor to capture that honestly."

The filmmakers also leaned on archival footage to ground the story in historical reality. Clips from 1993 political protests and images of Chief Moshood Abiola’s annulled election add weight to the narrative. “It gave it a grounding,” Akinola explained. “We wanted to honor the story without fabricating history."

Sound Design as Emotional Memory

One of the most striking elements of My Father’s Shadow is its sound design, which stood out not only to audiences but also to the director himself. “Sound design is the thing I get most geeked out about,” Akinola admitted. Working with CJ Merrow, the team focused on the visceral details of the boys’ perspective. “As a child, everything feels so real, so weighted. We tried to make the audience feel what the boys were feeling."

The score by Duval Timothy, scoring a film for the first time, complements the sound design with music that drifts between playfulness and dread.

A Film About Fathers, Families, and Nations

For Wale, the film is as much about personal fatherhood as it is about Nigeria itself. “Around the time we were writing the film, I also became a father. Trying to balance work and life, to provide and be present, is a difficult journey. At the same time, growing up, my mom would tell me stories about how Abiola’s election would change Nigeria. But that dream kept shifting, kept being deferred. The film asks — what does fatherhood look like in a developing nation context, where people aren’t even being paid their salaries? How do you survive, and still grow?."

Akinola added that cinema, for him, is a way of reclaiming lost histories. “For a long period of time, Nigerian history hasn’t been taught in schools. Many people don’t even know about the annulled election or the civil war. It’s important we tell our stories so we can reconcile and hopefully avoid repeating the past."

Final Impressions

What lingers most from My Father’s Shadow is its intimacy and intentionality. From the aura of Nigeria captured in its cinematography, to the hauntingly beautiful soundscape, every frame and note feels purposeful. It is not a story of easy reconciliation, but of recognition — of fathers, of sons, of a nation still reckoning with its past and its promises.

Davies’ debut is both a personal memoir and a national allegory, offering audiences a cinematic experience that is at once lyrical and political, tender and tumultuous.