Interview With "My Father's Shadow" Filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"My Father's Shadow" is a 2025 drama film directed by Akinola Davies Jr. in his feature-length debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother, Wale Davies, and starring Gotham Award winner Sope Dirisu. It follows a family reunion during the 1993 Nigerian election. The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Nigerian film to be selected for the festival's Official Selection. It won the Special Mention for the Caméra d'Or and was critically acclaimed, receiving numerous awards and nominations, including a British Independent Film Award and two Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was also selected as the UK's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Akinola Davies Jr. was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from MUBI. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to The Next Best Picture podcast, and this is my interview with the director and co-writer for my father's shadow, Aki Nola Davies Jr.
0:08.7	Sometimes it's hard to know what to do.
0:14.2	I want to be with you boys and your mother always.
0:19.6	But life is not like that.
0:22.6	Nigeria is hot.
0:27.8	Are you boys ready?
0:29.1	Yes, Daddy.
0:31.9	You're following me to Likos today.
0:33.8	Hello everyone and welcome to the Next Best Picture podcast where I'm being joined right now by the director, co-writer of the film My Father's Shadow, Aki-Nola Davies Jr. Thank you so much, sir, for being here today.
0:47.4	No worries. Thank you so much for having me, Matt. excited to be on your podcast.
0:52.0	I'm excited to finally talk with you about this movie.
0:54.6	I saw this at Can where it had its world premiere
0:57.9	in the Uncertain Regards section.
1:00.1	And you made history right away with your film
1:04.0	as it was the first Nigerian film to ever be selected
1:07.5	for the festival's official selection.
1:10.3	Just tell me right from the get-go,
1:12.6	like what that feeling was like.
1:15.6	Pretty surreal.
1:16.6	I mean, I think you set off to make a film
1:20.6	and make the best thing possible,
1:22.6	and you're not really aware of what you're contributing to history or not. So we were just really proud of what we've made.
	...

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