The situation highlights a recurring irony in African cinema: that some of the continent’s most powerful stories often compete under foreign banners due to international co-productions and funding structures.
By Joseph Jonathan
The United Kingdom has officially selected Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
The film—Davies Jr.’s debut feature—is a British–Nigerian co-production between Mubi, Element Pictures, and Fatherland Productions. Presented primarily in English, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin, My Father’s Shadow follows two young boys (Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo) and their estranged father (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) on a journey to Lagos during the political turmoil of the annulled 1993 election crisis.
The film premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, screening in the Un Certain Regard section, where it made history as the first Nigerian title in the festival’s official selection and earned Davies Jr. the Caméra d’Or Special Mention for Best First Feature. Its selection to represent the UK was made by a special committee convened by BAFTA.
Co-written by Davies Jr. and his brother, Wale Davies (Tec of Show Dem Camp), My Father’s Shadow, was shot on location in Lagos and Ibadan. Afrocritik’s Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku describes the film as a moving, bittersweet picture of hope, longing, loss, and closure, one that is deeply personal but also lends itself to universal resonance.
Produced by Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures and Funmbi Ogunbanwo for Fatherland Productions, the film’s executive producers include Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, Ama Ampadu for the BFI, Eva Yates for BBC Film, Christian Vesper for Fremantle, and Davies Jr. himself. The production was developed and co-financed by BBC Film and the BFI National Lottery.
According to the filmmakers, the decision to submit through the United Kingdom followed a review of eligibility and production structure, which qualified My Father’s Shadow under the UK’s submission criteria rather than Nigeria’s. The production team noted that while the film was shot entirely in Nigeria, its financing, production registration, and post-production were UK–based, making it eligible through the British selection committee.
The situation highlights a recurring irony in African cinema: that some of the continent’s most powerful stories often compete under foreign banners due to international co-productions and funding structures.
In 2018, Zambian filmmaker, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch was submitted by the U.K. for the 2019 Oscars. For the 2026 edition, Sweden has selected Egyptian director Tarik Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic, while Portugal has entered Banzo, a São Tomé and Príncipe story directed by Margarida Cardoso. My Father’s Shadow now joins this lineage, highlighting how global financing frameworks and eligibility rules continue to complicate questions of authorship and representation in world cinema.
Distributed by FilmOne Entertainment, My Father’s Shadow opened in Nigerian cinemas on September 19 to critical acclaim. It is also scheduled for a US and UK theatrical release on February 6, 2026.
The Best International Feature Film shortlist for the 2026 Academy Awards will be announced on December 16, with final nominations revealed on January 22, 2026.