Director Akinola Davies Jr. discusses My Father’s Shadow, his deeply personal and politically resonant debut feature, releasing exclusively in select theaters on Friday, February 13.
Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s pivotal 1993 election, the film filters national upheaval through the limited but emotionally charged perspective of a child. Rather than relying on adult hindsight, My Father’s Shadow captures how memory, confusion, and feeling often arrive long before understanding.
In this interview, Davies Jr. reflects on choosing emotional truth over historical exposition, the quiet parallels between an absent father and Nigeria’s lost political promise after Abiola, and the difficult decision not to idealize the father figure at the center of the story. We also discuss Lagos as a living, interruptive force in the film — capable of shifting from calm to chaos in seconds — and how moments like the beached whale embody that instability.
Shooting on 16mm demanded restraint, trust, and precision. Davies Jr. explains how the format shaped his reliance on silence, atmosphere, and performance, allowing the film to speak through what’s felt rather than what’s explained.
My Father’s Shadow opens February 13, exclusively in select theaters.
#MyFathersShadow #AkinolaDaviesJr #MUBI #IndependentFilm
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