MY FATHER’S SHADOW (BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL) (LFF)
Two brothers join their estranged father on a formative journey to Lagos, where they meet figures in his story, and have important conversations about life.
My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies
Is absence the same thing as love?
My Father’s Shadow, (2025) is a beautiful semi-autobiographical tale set in Nigeria in the 1990s, and told from the perspective of two young brothers. On a formative trip to Lagos with their otherwise absent father, they meet his colleagues, friends and mistress, and have emotional conversations about love, absence and duty, in a beach scene reminiscent of Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight, (2016).
The film weaves in aspects of contemporary political and social life in Nigeria, creating an authentic and all encompassing cinematic experience.
Release Date: October 17th 2025 (LFF)
Director(s): Akinola Davies
Written: Akinola Davies, Wale Davies
Producer (s): Funmbi Ogunbanwo, Rachel Dargavel
Starring: Sope Dirisu, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvelous Egbo Cinematography: Jermaine Edwards
Distributor: Mubi Runtime: 94 minutes