My Father's Shadow
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
Winner of the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Special Mention for the Caméra d'or, 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city's magnitude and their father's daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.
Akinola Davies Jr.
Akinola Davies Jr. is a British-Nigerian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. He began his career assisting photographers and filmmakers before pursuing formal training at the New York Film Academy, graduating in 2009. He made music videos and commercials for brands like Gucci, Acne Studios, Moncler, and Louis Vuitton. His 2020 short film Lizard, inspired by his childhood in Nigeria won the Grand Jury Prize for Short Film at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best British Short Film at the 2021 BAFTA Awards. In 2025, he made his feature-length directorial debut with My Father's Shadow, co-written with his brother Wale Davies. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, making history as the first Nigerian film selected for Cannes' official selection. Akinola Davies Jr. won the British Independent Film Award for Best Director and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director for his work on the film.
