Film archive, 2025

My Father’s Shadow

My Father's Shadow

Director Akinola DAVIES Jr.

1Festival entries

★Avg. rating

My Father′s Shadow was given a special mention for the Caméra d′Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Set immediately after the presidential election that marked the end of Nigeria’s military rule and the transition to civilian government, the story follows a father and his two sons as they return home after spending a day in Lagos. As the film deals with a significant day in Nigerian political history, the eyes of the people in the big city surge with confusion, fear, hope, and anger. Yet, the film’s main theme lies elsewhere. The director’s intentions are hidden in ‘the father’s occasional nosebleed and the sky that the child keeps gazing at.’ How does someone who is absent show love? Like an invisible god, the father, whose relentless work keeps him away from his family, wants to show his love and sense of responsibility to them. The director’s brother, who wrote the semi-autobiographical script, said he sought, “catharsis regarding the family′s past memories.” An unforgettable score further enriches the film, which artfully balances humor and emotion.