My Father's Shadow

Efie Gallery and Bootleg Griot present a monthly film programme in the Rekord Gallery tracing the intertwined histories of African and Arab liberation cinema. Through a carefully considered selection of films, the series reflects on how sound and image have shaped political consciousness, cultural memory, and diasporic imagination across continents.

My Father's Shadow (2025 · Directed by Akinola Davies Jr.)

About the film

Set in Lagos against the backdrop of the pivotal June 12, 1993 presidential election, My Father's Shadow follows two young brothers as they spend a transformative day with their estranged father. As the city teeters between hope and uncertainty, the film unfolds as a deeply affecting meditation on family, memory, masculinity, and the fragile bonds that shape our understanding of one another.

With a cinematic language that is both intimate and richly atmospheric, Davies crafts a portrait of fatherhood that resists sentimentality, favouring quiet observation over spectacle.

Through moments of tenderness and tension, My Father's Shadow explores the intersections of personal history and national identity, illuminating how private lives are inevitably shaped by political change