Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. has made a landmark debut at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival with his first feature film, My Father’s Shadow. The festival, a globally renowned event, is being held from May 13 to May 24, 2025, in the picturesque city of Cannes, France, specifically at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes.

 

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The film was selected for the Un Certain Regard section, a prominent part of the festival’s Official Selection. The Un Certain Regard section, introduced in 1978, is dedicated to showcasing films with “unusual styles and non-traditional stories,” often by emerging talents or those exploring unique cinematic approaches. It runs concurrently with the main competition for the Palme d’Or. A major turning point for Nigerian cinema, My Father’s Shadow is the first Nigerian fiction feature to be officially featured at Cannes.

This opportunity follows the success of Davies Jr.’s 2020 short film Lizard, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and received a BAFTA nomination in 2021. The international acclaim garnered by Lizard opened the doors for his first feature-length project, a deeply personal and semi-autobiographical work co-written with his brother, Wale Davies.

Set in Lagos during the pivotal 1993 Nigerian presidential election, the film follows two young brothers, Akin and Remi (played by real-life siblings Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo) who spend a day with their estranged father, Folarin (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù). Folarin is hopeful that the country is on the brink of change. He supports MKO Abiola, the people’s candidate, and sees the election as not only a chance for Nigeria’s renewal but a fresh start for his own strained relationship with his children. Though the casting wasn’t originally intended to feature actual brothers, their natural chemistry adds to the film’s emotional core.

While My Father’s Shadow operates in a more arthouse space than typical Nollywood productions, Davies Jr. acknowledges the industry’s foundational role, noting that the technicians who worked on his film are integral to Nollywood. The film was produced with a predominantly Nigerian crew, over 80%, including several first-time filmmakers.