My Father’s Shadow (2025): Release Date, Cast, Plot & Why This Cannes-Winning Nigerian Drama Is a Must-Watch

There are films that entertain — and then there are films that stay with you.

My Father’s Shadow, the award-winning debut feature from Akinola Davies Jr., belongs firmly in the second category. Poetic, intimate, and fiercely human, this Nigerian-British drama unfolds like a memory — soft at the edges, sharp at the center, and unforgettable long after the final frame.

Fresh off its Caméra d’Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival, the film is set to begin its worldwide theatrical rollout on February 6, 2026 in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, and Italy, with a Spanish release on March 6. Distributed by MUBI, it’s poised to become one of the year’s most talked-about international films.

My Father’s Shadow (2025) is an award-winning Nigerian-British drama directed by Akinola Davies Jr. Starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and introducing Godwin Chiemerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, the film follows two brothers who reconnect with their estranged father during a single day in 1993 Lagos. The Cannes-honored feature releases in theaters across the US, UK, and Canada on February 6, with Spain opening on March 6.

🌍 A Story Rooted in Nigeria, Told for the World

Set in 1993 Lagos, My Father’s Shadow positions a deeply personal family story against one of the most significant political moments in Nigerian history — the presidential election that promised to bring democracy after years of military rule.

The backdrop is turbulent. The narrative is delicate. And Akinola Davies Jr. balances the two with an honesty that resonates universally.

At its heart, the movie follows:

⭐ Two brothers — Remi & Akin

young, curious, and yearning for connection

⭐ Their father — Folarin (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù)

distant, complicated, and wrestling his own demons

What begins as a simple journey into Lagos to collect overdue salary becomes the most important day of their lives — a day of discovery, confrontation, and awakening.

Not an easy reunion.Not a sentimental one.But an honest one.

🎥 Akinola Davies Jr.: A Visionary Debut

For a debut feature, the film is shockingly confident.

Akinola Davies Jr. — along with his brother and co-writer Wale Davies — builds the film on:

• elliptical pacing

• poetic visuals

• raw family dynamics

• political tension beneath emotional stillness

• cultural texture grounded in Nigerian life

The result is a work that feels both cinematic and literary, both local and universal. It’s no surprise it became:

✔ the first Nigerian film ever selected for Cannes’ Official Selection

✔ winner of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention

✔ the UK’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature

Davies’ direction isn’t flashy — it’s deliberate, lyrical, and deeply human.

🧡 A Father, A City, A Moment in History

When the boys follow their father into Lagos, the film transforms.

The rural quiet gives way to:

• overcrowded buses

• bustling markets

• political posters peeling off walls

• soldiers patrolling with suspicion

• a country holding its breath for change

Lagos becomes a character — unpredictable, overwhelming, and alive.

As the boys navigate the city, they also navigate something harder: who their father is beyond the myths they built around him.

The film becomes a haunting exploration of:

• masculinity

• absence

• responsibility

• identity

• memory

• forgiveness

Not through melodrama — but through moments.Small, sharp, beautifully observed moments.

⭐ Performances That Hit Straight to the Heart

Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù — Folarin

Strong yet broken, distant yet desperate to connect, Dìrísù gives a career-defining performance. Every glance and silence speaks volumes.

Godwin Chiemerie Egbo & Chibuike Marvellous Egbo — Remi & Akin

The real-life brothers deliver breathtaking authenticity. Their innocence, curiosity, and emotional clarity ground the film’s poetic tone in raw reality.

Their dynamic feels real — because it is real. Their vulnerability becomes the heartbeat of the movie.

📅 Release Schedule — Where to Watch

In Theaters – February 6, 2026

🇺🇸 United States🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇨🇦 Canada🇮🇹 Italy🇮🇪 Ireland

Spain — March 6, 2026

🇪🇸 Nationwide release

A MUBI exclusive release, meaning it will also stream globally on MUBI after its theatrical run.

🎞️ Festival Legacy: Why the Film Matters

At Cannes, the film was celebrated for its:

• emotional honesty

• lyrical compositions

• nuanced exploration of fatherhood

• political backdrop woven into intimate storytelling

• transformative performances

It became:

🏆 The first Nigerian film in Cannes Official Selection

🏆 Winner of Caméra d’Or Special Mention

🏆 One of the most critically acclaimed debut features of 2025

And now? It’s ready to reach global audiences — especially in countries with rich diaspora communities.

🌌 Themes That Will Resonate With Audiences Everywhere

Even if you’ve never been to Lagos…even if you’ve never lived through political unrest…even if your father wasn’t distant…

The film speaks to universal truths:

• wanting to understand your parents

• confronting childhood illusions

• carrying generational weight

• navigating identity between cultures

• learning to see someone as they truly are

It is Nigerian — proudly so —but also deeply, overwhelmingly human.

📚 The Film’s Structure: A Day That Changes Everything

The story unfolds over one transformative day.

A day that begins quietlyand ends with everything changed.

The film avoids big plot twists.

Instead, it delivers:

• sensory memories

• silences full of meaning

• emotional shifts

• political tensions creeping around the edges

It’s not about what happens —it’s about what it means.

💬 Why My Father’s Shadow Deserves Global Attention

This film checks every box that international audiences and critics respond to:

✔ awards prestige

✔ festival acclaim

✔ African storytelling elevated to global cinema

✔ strong British support

✔ universal father-son themes

✔ historical and political depth

✔ visually poetic direction

✔ emotionally grounded performances

It is the exact kind of film that trends on:

• Google Discover

• Arts & Culture feeds

• Film Twitter/X

• Letterboxd

• MUBI community lists

• Awards-season conversations

🎇 Final Verdict: A Landmark for Nigerian Cinema and Global Storytelling

My Father’s Shadow isn’t loud or flashy.

It’s quiet, intentional, emotional, and devastating in the most beautiful way.

It’s a story about:

• fathers who try

• sons who yearn

• a country in transition

• memories that refuse to fade

• and the impossible work of seeing family clearly

This is a film that lingers — not because of its size, but because of its soul.

Akinola Davies Jr. has created an instant classic — a work that stands proudly beside films like:

• The Tree of Life

• Roma

• Capernaum

• Tsotsi

• Fela’s Rebirth

• Goodbye Julia

Cinema like this doesn’t come often — and when it does, you feel it.