BAFTA award-winning film My Father’s Shadow, hailed as a ‘historical family heirloom for Nigeria’ by its director Akinola Davies Jr, tells an intimate semi-autobiographical tale of a father’s complicated connection with his two sons in the midst of political crisis, grief, and an uncertain spiritual path.

Davies Jr’s feature debut is set in the heart of Lagos circa 1993, where the nationwide presidential elections instilled in Nigerian citizens a seismic moment of optimism and hope. The promise from M. K. O. Abiola, a supposed beacon for progress, hung in the balance when the militia abruptly annulled the election without warning.

However, in addition to this national distress, woven throughout the film is the unhealed emotional wound of two young boys, Remi (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo) and Akin (Godwin Chiemerie Egbo), as they come to terms with the transformative loss of their father, Fola (Sope Dirisu). In the opening scene, viewers meet both boys eating alone together under the sun, left with the minimalist soundscape of birds, trees, and chickens to reconcile grief with the earliest memories of childhood. From this unique perspective, we gain the privilege of seeing glances of memories purely through their lens, such as the soft tenderness and comfort of their father’s hands.

The militia runs as an intentionally disruptive undercurrent throughout, mirroring the fragments of political knowledge Remi and Akin would have pieced together during their day out in Lagos. Davies Jr skilfully centres the joy of childhood within a whirlwind of political chaos, exposing the unseen experiences of economic trauma through small glimpses of the election crisis, including the flash of newspapers headlined ‘New Apartheid’, or the anxiety-inducing crackle of the local radio. Here, the innocent daylong adventure functions as a vehicle for hope in the darkest of times, as well as a signal for the importance of optimism in combating our deepest fears of an uncertain, destabilised future.

A motif of pursuing hope through commitment to one’s family can also be traced throughout My Father’s Shadow. At the beach, Remi and Akin explore spirituality with their father as a path towards hope by emphasising how ‘memories that pain you when someone leaves are the same ones that comfort you later’. This moment towards the end of the film is emblematic of Davies Jr’s wider intentions for the project – a means through which he, along with his older brother and co-writer, Wale, could solidify the vague memories of a beloved father they ‘never really knew’.

As the first-ever Nigerian film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival, how has My Father’s Shadow positively impacted diasporic African cinema?

Davies Jr has broken through barriers within an industry which has previously prioritised stories embedded seemingly exclusively in Western contexts. Recent controversies concerning the BBC’s biased coverage of the very BAFTA ceremony in which Davies Jr’s film was rewarded for his outstanding debut, arose due to the cynical decision to censor his brave solidarity with Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and particularly Palestine. However, this must not distract from My Father’s Shadow’s remarkable accomplishments this year. The motion picture remains a pivotal turning point in Black British cinema and a testament to storytelling that goes against a Eurocentric grain. Championing Nigerian British stories, which decentre dominant perspectives, instils hope that African filmmakers are calling on the world to listen.

A heart-wrenching but wonderfully transformative letter to passed loved ones. 

Watch My Father’s Shadow in select cinemas across the UK now.