My Father's Shadow

AroView: British-Nigerian film-maker Akinola Davies delves back into his childhood for this dramatized portrait of his father and brother who travel to Lagos on the eve of Nigerian elections of 1993. Filmed on location, it has the hallmarks of a debut that is sincere and focused and sometimes rough-hewn in a way entirely appropriate to depict a culture facing constant instability.

“Davies Jr. deftly connects the broken promises of the nation state with the fragility of the family at the center of his story. It’s in these final scenes of this impressive debut that he displays his full promise as a filmmaker.” ~Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter

“My Father’s Shadow resolves as a movie less about a father than it is about the absence of one — a vibrant, deeply felt love letter to Lagos, written in blood.” ~David Ehrlich, IndieWire

“The child’s eye view of a seismic time of political upheaval is not an entirely new storytelling approach, but Davies breathes fresh life into the device.” ~Wendy Ide, Screen Daily