Créatif | Akinola Davies Jr.

Akinola Davies Jr‘s debut feature, My Father's Shadow, has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks. The film has been revered.

Akinola Davies Jr.

©Akinola Davies Jr.

Akinola Davies Jr‘s debut feature, My Father's Shadow, has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks. The film has been revered for its poignant imagery and deeply personal exploration of childhood memories. It intimately offers an unfiltered and rawly sensitive portrayal of the complex relationship between a father and his two sons. The film’s BAFTA award win for Outstanding Debut has further swung it into global film conversations and drew renewed appreciation for its depth and resonance.

With a Nigerian origin and a United Kingdom-refined identity, Akinola Davies Jr is one of the contemporary filmmaking talents in the industry whose works draw from personal experience while reflecting broader African realities.

Davies was born in London to Nigerian parents, but much of his upbringing was influenced by the Lagos’ life. His constant movement between both countries gave him a sense of reflective identity drawn from two places and was central to his storytelling. The absence of his father would later influence the emotional concerns of his work, particularly his interest in memory and family relationships.

Following his father's passing, Davies returned to England for his education. He studied in Kent before attending the University of Brighton. There, he studied English language and Media Studies. Later, he took a short filmmaking course in New York and further developed his practice by working in various creative roles.

Before directing feature-length films, Davies worked on short films, music videos, and visual projects with reputable artists and brands, including Neneh Cherry, Kae Tempest, Devonté Hynes, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. He also directed episodes of the BBC television series “Black to Life", which expanded his experience with longer narrative forms.

His early short film “Contactless” was released in 2018, but his 2020 release “Lizard” gained wider recognition. The film basically follows an 8-year-old girl named Juwon with the ability to sense danger.

Lizard premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Award.

Davies’ collaboration with his brother, Wale Davies, with whom he frequently writes and develops projects, had a significant impact on his creative journey.

In 2025, Davies released his first feature film, “My Father’s Shadow". The film was co-written by Wale and directed by Akinola. The plot was set in Lagos in 1993 during the political crisis that followed a cancelled election, and follows the story of two young brothers spending a day with their distant father. The film explores childhood memory, absence, and the complexities of family relationships.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Camera d'Or Special Mention. Akinola later won the British Independent Film Award for Best Outstanding Debut by a British Director for the same film.

Across his work, Davies continues to draw from memory and lived experience. This allows him to bridge personal history with collective experience and also connect Nigeria to a broader global conversation in contemporary cinema.

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