MY FATHER’S SHADOW
WINNER OF OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR, OR PRODUCER AT THE 2026 EE BAFTA AWARDS
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD AT THE 2025 BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARD WINNERS FOR OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE & BINGHAM RAY BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
CAMERA D’OR SPECIAL MENTION AT THE 2025 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
(RECOGNISING BEST DEBUT FEATURE)
★★★★★ “Startlingly unique… A tender magical portrait of black masculinity”
– Metro
★★★★ “Deeply heartfelt, intimately personal filmmaking…. The announcement of major talent” – Empire
★★★★ “A stunning, atmospheric and penetrating debut from Akinola Davies Jr.”
– Little White Lies
AVAILABLE TO STREAM EXCLUSIVELY ON MUBI
FROM 10 APRIL 2026
MUBI, the global distributor, streaming service, and production company, is proud to announce that BAFTA Award-winner Akinola Davies Jr’s contemplative, semi-autobiographical drama My Father’s Shadow, will stream exclusively on MUBI in Australia from 10 April 2026.
Winner of Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards, My Father’s Shadow is a poetic, tender portrait of father–son bonds unfolding against the political turbulence of 1993 Lagos.
The multi‑award‑winning film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Caméra d’Or Special Mention, and was later selected as the UK’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards®.
The film continued its remarkable awards run at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards, where Akinola Davies Jr. won Best Director. It led the BIFA nominations with 12 in total, including Best British Independent Film, Best Screenplay (Wale Davies), and key craft categories such as Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
Set over the course of a single day in and around the Nigerian metropolis, Folarin (Sopé Dìrísù, Slow Horses, Gangs of London) and his young sons Akin (Godwin Egbo) and Remi (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo) reckon with their relationship while navigating a city on the precipice of democratic crisis. As shadows grow long across Lagos and details of Folarin’s life come to light, the strained nature of his connection to Akin and Remi becomes increasingly clear.
Brothers and collaborators Akinola Davis Jr. and Wale Davies have infused their groundbreaking feature debut with the energy, complexity, and rich community of 90s Nigeria, luminously captured on 16mm. Centering an award-winning performance by Dìrísù, My Father’s Shadow reveals the profound depths of what families leave unspoken.
MY FATHER’S SHADOW WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STREAM EXCLUSIVELY ON MUBI FROM 10 APRIL 2026
