# FIRSTLOOK: “MY FATHER’S SHADOW”

MUBI, the global distributor, streaming service and production company, shares a first look of Akinola Davies Jr.’s directorial feature debut, My Father’s Shadow, which had its World Premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival on May 18 2025.

My Father’s Shadow is Akinola Davies Jr.’s (Lizard) directorial feature debut and stars Sope Dirisu (Slow Horses, Gangs Of London). The film is a semi-autobiographical tale set over the course of a single day in the Nigerian metropolis Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. The story follows a father, estranged from his two young sons, as they travel through the massive city while political unrest threatens their journey home.

My Father’s Shadow is a collaboration between Element Pictures and Fatherland Productions, and based on a script by Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr., whose previous collaboration on Lizard won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2021 and garnered a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Film.

My Father’s Shadow was developed by BBC Film, who previously backed Lizard, and co-financed by BBC Film and the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding). The Match Factory is handling worldwide sales. MUBI has acquired all rights from Element Pictures for North America, UK, Ireland, and Turkey, with MUBI distributing in key territories including the UK/IE and US.