Following its Cannes premiere earlier this year, My Father’s Shadow has released the first trailer of its semi-autobiographical tale.
Premiering Feb. 6 in theaters, via Mubi, the Akinola Davies Jr.-helmed film stars Sope Disiru as a Nigerian father trying to protect and bond with his two estranged sons (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo) during the course of a single day in the capital Lagos during the 1993 election as unrest threatens their journey home.
Co-written with his brother Wale Davies, Akinola told Deadline the historical setting of his directorial debut “helped us create a huge amount of tension and tell the story of what actually happened in that period in Nigeria. It also helps people understand the history of Nigerians, as well as the diaspora, as well as other people in Africa, as well as other people in the world.”
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Akinola added, “I think people have this obsession about Nigeria in many instances, because you hear it in the music and you see it in the fashion or talent. But actually, it serves to know a little bit more than just those things, because it’s a really magical and complex place.”
Noting that he was 20 months old when his father died, Akinola said his brother’s script moved him to tears. “I’d never really conceived of the idea of spending a day with my father… for someone I am named after and never got to know,” he explained.
My Father’s Shadow made history this year as the first film from Nigeria to premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard (Official Collection), before debuting in Nigerian cinemas in September.
