The distributor and streaming platform MUBI has launched another trailer for the award-winning first feature film “My Father’s Shadow,” directed by Akinola Davies Jr. The movie is set to premiere in theaters on February 6th, 2026.
The film stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Slow Horses, Gangs Of London) and features Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo in their first screen appearance. “My Father’s Shadow” received the Best Director Prize for Akinola Davies Jr. (Lizard) at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards. It was selected as the UK’s entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. Akinola Davies Jr. took the Best Breakthrough Director, and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù received the Outstanding Lead Performer award at this year’s Gothams. The world premiere took place at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The film received a Special Mention from the Awards Jury there.
The film is semi-autobiographical and takes place in one day in Lagos, Nigeria, amidst the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. The movie revolves around a father estranged from his two young boys, who accompany him through the busy city during political instability that hinders his return home.
The piece, written by Wale Davies and co-written by Akinola Davies Jr., who was recently selected for this year’s BAFTA Breakthrough category, was written together with Wale Davies. The piece was expertly filmed by director of photography Jermaine Edwards. “My Father’s Shadow” reveals, through the eyes of a child, the point of a significant historical shift.
