Latest news with #AkinolaDaviesJr
Kuwait Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Nigeria needs good fathers, says director who made Cannes history
Akinola Davies Jr -- who has made history by directing Nigeria's first ever film in competition at the Cannes film festival -- lost his father when he was two. "I've always collected father figures growing up," said the maker of "My Father's Shadow", which is in the running for the Camera d'Or for best first film. His homeland has also been looking for a father figure for a long time to put an arm round its shoulder, Akinola told AFP. The film -- which The Guardian praised as "rich, heartfelt and rewarding" -- follows a father and his two sons on an odyssey through Lagos just as the military "pulled the rug away from dreams of democracy" with yet another coup, annulling the result of the 1993 election. Many Nigerians had hoped opposition leader Moshood Abiola, known as "MKO", would save them from the military, Akinola said. Instead the generals threw him in prison. 'Dreams deferred' "There are interesting parallels between the father figures as the president of the country and as a military dictator," he said. "Growing up there was a perception that a father figure had to be a strong, authoritarian disciplinarian," said Davies, who grew up between London and Lagos. That was certainly the figure that Nigeria got after the coup in the shape of General Sani Abacha. But Akinola and his film subtly suggests that there could have been an alternative father of the nation -- a kinder, gentler, more nurturing "Daddy" personified by Sope Dirisu. The "Gangs of London" star plays a father who brings his boys from the village to Lagos in the vain attempt to get the months of backpay he is owed. He may be a good man but he is far from flawless as they discover that his eye has wandered from his wife in the big smoke. "The film is about the boys being able to hold their father accountable... And because they get to see how to be accountable they can be accountable themselves," Akinola said. The young director said the film was all about "interrogating masculinity", making a father's relationship with his children a "two-way street and not a dictatorship". Akinola wrote the screenplay with his older brother Wale, who he "idolized" as a kid -- a relationship that is mirrored in the film, with brothers Godwin Chimerie Egbo and Chibiuke Marvellous Egbo playing the boys. In a case of life imitating art, Dirisu had to be "Daddy" on set, gently laying down the law a few times, even as Marvelous -- in another echo of the script -- tried to keep his younger brother in check. "There are levels and levels," Akinola laughed. "I've witnessed my brothers become fathers, and the fatherhood that they perform with their kids is something that I would have loved to have had." With the film garnering warm reviews, and Akinola rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty on the red carpet, he said he hoped one day Nigeria's dreams would also come true. But the dreams of Africa's most populous country have been "deferred and deferred and deferred", he told AFP, "and they're still being deferred". - AFP
France 24
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Cannes 2025: Nollywood basks in spotlight as Nigerian film finally makes the cut
Nollywood's Cannes moment has finally come. After decades on the sidelines of the world's most prestigious movie showcase, Nigeria is making a splash in Cannes this year with a first-ever feature film in the festival's official lineup – backed up by a slew of producers and officials determined to turn Africa's leading film industry into a global giant. Leading the charge is director Akinola Davies Jr, whose debut feature 'My Father's Shadow', featuring 'Gangs of London' star Sope Dirisu, screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard segment dedicated to emerging filmmakers. 'I always heard about Cannes when I was growing up and to find myself here with my first film in the most prestigious festival in the world is a bit surreal,' says the filmmaker, writer and video artist whose work is based between Nigeria and the UK. 'Being the first Nigerian film selected at Cannes is also something very special,' he adds. Set over a single day in Lagos in 1993, 'My Father's Shadow' follows two boys trailing after their absent father through the bustling metropolis as the country teeters on the brink of yet another military coup. Based on a screenplay by Davies' younger brother Wale, it's a deeply personal story for the two siblings who were both toddlers when their father died. 'Nigerian men are still expected to provide for their families, which means they're away working most of the time, and sometimes far away,' says the filmmaker. 'We wanted to explore this question of which is more important: the frantic quest to earn a living or spending more time with those you love?' Davies shot the film over six weeks, including in Lagos, the most densely populated city in Africa. He likens the experience to a 'logistical Olympics'. 'The film industry is massive in Nigeria, but with its own way of doing things,' he explains. 'Every day it felt like we had to move mountains.' Second only to Bollywood Nigeria's film industry has expanded dramatically over the past three decades to become the world's second most prolific, trailing only India's. It churns out some 2,500 films each year, almost five times as many as the United States. Most are produced in a matter of weeks, on shoestring budgets. They tend to carry a distinctive cultural imprint based on the everyday concerns of Nigerians, often spiced with the supernatural. 'It's a fantastic and extremely dynamic industry,' says Davies. 'Nollywood was born out of necessity. People who wanted to be part of the film world picked up VHS camcorders and just started making their films.' 09:09 Despite its massive output, the industry has traditionally struggled to reach beyond continental audiences and the African diaspora. 'As it comes from a densely populated country with a large diaspora, it's a cinema that can tend to be a little insular, wanting to tell its own stories for its own audience,' Davies explains. 'But it's also a young cinema, only about thirty years old." Amazon's volte-face Nollywood first took off in the 1990s in the wake of an economic downturn that closed the country's cinemas and fostered the emergence of a homegrown industry centred on films produced and distributed directly on video cassettes. Since then, the industry has grown exponentially, spawning local offshoots – such as the Muslim north's 'Kannywood', named after the city of Kano – and catching the eye of streaming platforms that have helped expand its international reach. But there have been setbacks, too. Amazon closed down its Africa operation last year in a major blow to local industries. Business insiders say Netflix is also poised to hit the brakes, making Nigeria's Cannes breakthrough all the more timely. The Nigerian government has sent a delegation to the French Riviera gathering to launch a new initiative dubbed 'Screen Nigeria', designed to raise Nollywood's global profile and attracting foreign investment. It is part of a wider development programme that aims to create two million jobs in tourism and the creative industries and contribute $100 million to Nigeria's GDP by 2030. 'Some people see the withdrawal of streaming platforms as a crisis. I think it's more of an opportunity to see how we can create our own distribution system,' says Nigerian film producer Lilian Olubi. 'Africa, as a whole, has the people and the talent to meet this challenge.' Showcasing 'our own stories' Olubi is in Cannes to present 'Osamede', a big-budget historical fantasy set during the British invasion of 1897. It tells the story of a young orphan girl with magical powers who sets off on a mission to save her kingdom from colonial invaders. Based on a Beninese legend, the Nollywood-style blockbuster is also inspired by Africa-set Hollywood action epics such as 'Black Panther' and 'The Woman King'. Its producer is counting on Cannes, home to the world's largest film market, to land deals with international distributors. 'In Africa, we have our own hero stories, but they are very local, and it is important to showcase them,' says director James Omokwe at the film's market screening. 'To make a profit from a film like ours, it's essential to be distributed outside Nigeria, both on the continent and overseas.' Omokwe, who is attending his first Cannes Film Festival, says Davies' selection in the official lineup is a boon for all Nigerian filmmakers. 'This will open new doors for our industry,' he explains. 'It's an international spotlight for our work.' The Cannes imprimatur sanctions Nollywood's 'international credibility', adds his producer Olubi. 'It's proof that our creativity is real and powerful.'
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Nigeria's first film in Cannes lineup explores masculinity, family dynamics
CANNES, France, May 19 (Reuters) - With "My Father's Shadow," Nigeria's first film in the Cannes Film Festival's official selection, director Akinola Davies Jr. wanted to create something deeply personal, he told Reuters. The film had to mean "something to me, to him (my brother), to my family, to our community, I guess to masculinity in general," said Davies about the film competing in the second-tier Un Certain Regard category that he wrote with his brother, Wale. Davies' first feature takes place over one day in 1993, when two brothers' absent father, played by "Gangs of London" star Sope Dirisu, shows up unannounced and takes them to Lagos. Their father is there to try to recoup some money owed from his employer as the country is on edge after the outcome of the first elections in a decade under military rule is annulled. Newcomers and real-life brothers Godwin Egbo, 11 at the time of filming, and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, then 8, play the young siblings in the semi-autobiographical film that's been picked up for distribution by streamer Mubi. "Nigeria was going through a time where there was a lot of enthusiasm for this idea of a statesman who was going to lead us to potential," similar to the boys' relationship with their father, said Davies, who was raised between London and Lagos. "Both things being so sort of strong and dominant, but equally super vulnerable and super fragile - I think the tension sort of played off each other really well," said Davies. Dirisu, a British actor born to Nigerian parents, said that the film made him take a deeper look at what it means to be a father as well as how Nigeria fits into his personal identity. "There were a lot of things I had to interrogate for the role, but it was exciting," the actor told Reuters. Davies' film is one of several strong contenders competing in Un Certain Regard this year, with actors Harrison Dickinson, Kristen Stewart and Scarlett Johansson also in the race with their directorial debuts. The Guardian, opens new tab gave "My Father's Shadow" four out of five stars, calling it a "subtle and intelligent coming-of-age tale" while industry publication IndieWire, opens new tab gave the "beautifully remembered drama" the grade of B+. Davies hopes the movie's inclusion at Cannes will pave the way for more African films at the festival. "African stories are out there," he told Reuters, but they need to be able to get to festivals like Cannes to be seen. When there's willingness from other areas of the world, and points of access, however, those films can come through, he said.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Cannes standout 'My Father's Shadow' marks a historic first for Nigeria
CANNES, France — Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother Wale were both toddlers when their father died. Many years later, they began thinking about an idea for movie: What if they had gotten to spend a day with him? In 'My Father's Shadow,' which is playing in the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section, the Davies brothers pay tribute to the father they hardly knew in a shattering father-son tale and one of the clear standouts of the festival.
Time Out
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
My Father's Shadow
A bold new voice is born with this story of a dad and his two sons set over a single day in Nigeria as it teeters on the edge of a coup. Nigerian-British filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr taps into universal feelings – of wide-eyed childhood discovery, parental responsibility and a feeling of a world spinning out of control – and backdrops it with an immersive sense of controlled chaos. Written by the director and his older brother Wade and fuelled with their childhood memories, the result is touching, contemplative and unsettling – a film with the gentle impressionist gaze of Moonlight, the hard-scrabble edge of Bicycle Thieves, and a fourth-wall-breaking daring all of its own. My Father's Shadow is also coming-of-age story – an unusual one for focusing as much on its struggling but well-intentioned dad, Folarin (Gangs of London 's Sope Dirisu), striving to be a better man, as his two boys, 11-year-old Remi (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo) and eight-year-old Akin (Godwin Egbo). It's 1993 and Nigeria has gone to the polls to elect a new president. Folarin hopes it will be social democrat MKO Abiola, but as he travels with his sons into Lagos, word spreads of a spate of killings by a military regime looking to cling to power. The country is divided. Petrol is scarce. Tension throbs from the frame. 'Nigeria needs discipline,' mutters a passenger on their bus ride into the city, advocating for the jackbooted junta to come. Davies Jr's bold debut speaks with a murmur and beats like a drum Into this combustible mix, Folarin takes the two eager boys, hoping to claim the pay packet his employer has been denying him. Their split gazes sends cinematographer Jermaine Edwards's inquisitive camera off in different directions: the boys upwards to skies dotted with soaring birds; their dad to truckloads of passing soldiers with cold gazes and loaded rifles. A harrowing visit to the seaside, backdropped, in a dystopian touch, by a beached freighter, illustrates the fine balance between exposing the boys to the world and protecting them from it. The two young actors are both naturals as the boys bicker over their favourite WWE wrestlers, refuse to share ice-cream money and wrap their heads around the hubbub of the city. Dirisu is simmering and sensitive as a man who surfs the line between deadbeat dad and safe harbour. They're the heart of a film that sometimes speaks with a murmur and sometimes beats like a drum. There's been many movies made by Nollywood, the country's prodigious film industry, but somehow this is the first Nigerian movie to be selected to play at Cannes. On this evidence, the Davies brothers will be back.
