My Father’s Shadow

Directed by Akinola Davies Jr.
United Kingdom
2025
94 mins

Synopsis

The first Nigerian film in the Cannes Official Selection, this bold, poetic drama set over a heady day in Lagos is sure to be one of the year’s most acclaimed debuts and stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Slow Horses, Gangs of London).

Akinola Davies Jr.’s feature debut opens with a striking, stylish and thrilling montage. It is 1993 and election time in Nigeria, with the promise of a new democratic dispensation following years of military rule. Young brothers Remi and Akin squabble at their countryside home, and are then surprised to find that their estranged father Folarin (Dìrísù) has returned. With their mother away in the village, Folarin decides on a whim to take the boys with him to Lagos. Overwhelmed by the sensory overload of the megalopolis, Remi and Akin try to take in everything as Folarin goes about trying to get paid – his salary is months overdue. As they make their way through the city, they encounter differing political views – those excited at the prospect of the rule the favourite, MKO Abiola, and those who believe Nigeria needs “discipline” and military rule – and learn some valuable life lessons. With an incredible eye for unusual details, Davies Jr., in a snapshot of a particular experience, reveals a great deal about a family and a country in this most extraordinary of debuts.

Special Guests

Akinola Davies Jr.
Director, Screenwriter

Akinola Davies Jr. is a London-based Nigerian filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans experimental cinema, fashion, and music videos. In 2021, Davies Jr. won at Sundance for his short film Lizard (SFF 2021). He has been in Berlinale Talents and debuted his first solo exhibition at Art Basel, Switzerland.

Tickets

Wed 11 June 2025, 6pm
State Theatre
WheelchairAssisted Listening
Fri 13 June 2025, 10am
State Theatre
WheelchairAssisted Listening
Sat 14 June 2025, 8:30pm
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 1
WheelchairAssisted Listening
  • Program Strand
  • Year
    2025
  • Classification
    Unclassified 15+
  • Country
    UK, Nigeria
  • Language
    In English
  • Director
    Akinola Davies Jr.
  • Producer
    Rachel Dargavel, Funmbi Ogunbanwo
  • Cast
    Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvelous Egbo
  • Screenwriter
    Wale Davies, Akinola Davies Jr
  • Cinematographer
    Jermaine Edwards
  • Editor
    Omar Guzman
  • Genre
  • Premiere
    Australian Premiere
  • Company Credits
    World Sales: The Match Factory
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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