Akinola Davies Jr.’s debut feature film My Father’s Shadow has screened in Lagos after earning global recognition, including a historic spot at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
My Father’s Shadow sustained applause on Tuesday evening at Filmhouse Cinema, Twin Waters Entertainment Centre, Oniru, Lagos State.
The drama, co-written with his brother Wale Davies, follows two siblings who spend an unexpected day in Lagos with their estranged father during the turbulent June 1993 elections. The story is partly inspired by the filmmakers’ own childhood memories after losing their father.
The film made history in May when it became the first Nigerian feature ever selected for the Cannes Official Selection, screening in the Un Certain Regard section. It went on to receive a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or, the prize for best first feature.
Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who watched the film in Cannes, described it as “deeply moving and emotional.” She said it touched her so much that she cried at the end.
Critics have praised My Father’s Shadow for its cinematography and its personal yet universal themes of family, absence and identity. Produced by Element Pictures, Fatherland Productions, BBC Film and the BFI, the movie has also been acquired by global streamer Mubi for release in several regions including North America.
For Lagos audiences, the screening marked a symbolic homecoming for the film, which has been hailed as a milestone moment for Nigerian cinema on the world stage.
