Kid brothers Remi and Akin get to spend a gift of a day with their estranged father Folarin. They go on a voyage into Lagos observing the colossal city for the first time and the hoops their father must deal with to provide. All this happens in the backdrop of a huge 1993 presidential election result which calls into question his ability to get them home.
Cannes Film Festival 
Australia Sydney Film Festival Australia 
June 24, 1993 will become known as one of the most consequential days in the brief history of post-colonial Nigeria, but — for the two young boys at the heart of Akinola Davies Jr.’s semi-autobiographical drama “My Father’s Shadow” — that date is destined to be ed for considerably more personal reasons.
It was on June 24, 1993 that Major General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, refusing to accept that the citizens of Nigeria had overwhelmingly voted for the people’s champion MKO Abiola, annulled the results of the country’s first democratic election since the military coup 10 years earlier. It was also, this poignant and vividly realized film invites us to imagine, on June 24, 1993 that brothers Akin and Remi were…
A thousand hopes reside in “My Father’s Shadow,” the crushingly personal semi-autobiographical film by director Akinola Davies set in 1993 Nigeria. In the first film from Nigeria to premiere at Cannes in Un Certain Regard, the first hope that springs is the most potent: brothers Akin (Godwin Egbo) and Remi (Chibuike Marlevous Egbo) haven’t seen their father Fola (an otherworldly Sope Dirisu) in so long they practically wish for his presence. And on the power of a strong breeze, he appears with plans to go to Lagos to reclaim six months’ worth of back pay. He and his sons depart from their village for a trip to the big city, leaving their mother to await their return. What’s meant to…
For me, the smartest thing MUBI have put their name to in a long time. A winding, wondrous film about what it’s like to never know someone, but for that person to spend their life in search of your safety and happiness. Love how it looks, love how it feels, love that the two leads are brothers and that Davies Jr. and his brother wrote the screenplay together too. Magical.
my first tears in Cannes this year!
the spirit of cinema and the love the filmmaking are everywhere on earth. I feel so honored to be able to watch stories from places I've never been and to experience such a raw and emotional story, a story so visceral it's as if I were there walking the streets of Lagos.
to see the world through the eyes of another is one of the greatest gifts of being alive.
OH MY GOD !!! First time crying at 9:30 am in a cinema. Soooo beautiful already think this might be my favourite of the festival
To be 8 years old and going on random side quests with your father and sitting in waiting rooms while he keeps running into old friends. Didn’t know it was such a universal experience
Cannes 2025
Aftersun for boys, and one of the best films this decade- a true masterpiece.
I could write a billion words about this film and it will still never be enough
I’m devastated I can’t stop crying :(
MY FATHER’S SHADOW marks a historic moment as the first Nigerian film to premiere at Cannes, and it’s a deeply impressive one from filmmaker Akinola Davies. Told from the reflective perspective of its director as a child, this autobiographical story is a poignant snapshot of Nigeria during the turbulent 1993 political election, capturing both the loss of democracy & innocence for two young boys. There’s a nostalgic yet haunting atmosphere crafted through evocative editing, sound, and music that is compelling to watch. Drawing from the pain & warmth of this personal memory, Davies offers a moving tribute to the man he saw as larger-than-life. That man is portrayed with quiet strength & emotional depth by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, who after working in character actor mode for the past few years really deserves his flowers for this performance and to see his career go to the next level.
Ngl I had a pretty good nap
perfectly captures the essence of childhood, when the world seems to constantly hover between bliss and horror
