After its historic debut at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, the feature film My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr. and co-written by Wale “Tec” Davies, will be released in cinemas across Nigeria from September 19, with FilmOne handling distribution. The film, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard category, was the first Nigerian feature to screen at the prestigious festival. During the festival, it received a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or prize, an award presented to the best first feature film in the festival’s official selections.

The film, directed and executive-produced by Davies Jr. and written by Wale Davies—who also serves as an executive producer—stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, who is likewise an executive producer on the project and is best known for his roles in Slow Horses, The Gorge, and Gangs of London. Describing Dìrísù’s performance, Davies Jr. called him “a powerhouse who has brought such magic to his character and taken the script to a whole new level.” Set in Lagos in the aftermath of the 1993 presidential election, the story follows Folarin (played by Dìrísù) and his two sons, Remi and Akin (played by Godwin and Marvellous Egbo), as they attempt to reconnect amid the country’s political turmoil.

My Father’s Shadow marks Davies Jr.’s semi-autobiographical debut feature and was presented by BBC Film and the BFI, in association with The Match Factory, Fremantle, Electric Theatre Collective, and MUBI. It is an Element Pictures production, in association with Crybaby and Fatherland. Even before its Cannes debut was announced, the film had already gained support from MUBI, which secured distribution rights for North America, the UK, Ireland, and Turkey. More recently, it also secured French distribution through Le Pacte. With its Nigerian theatrical release confirmed, we can only hope the film does not face the same challenges or opposition from cinema houses that have affected films such as C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata.

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