Akinola Davies Jr.’s Debut ‘My Father’s Shadow’ Hits Netflix This September

Akinola Davies Jr.‘s acclaimed debut feature “My Father’s Shadow” is reportedly coming to Netflix on September 21, bringing the Nigerian-British drama to a much wider global audience. If you’ve been following the international festival circuit, you’ve probably already heard the buzz. Now the wait is almost over

Set in Lagos in 1993, the semi-autobiographical film follows two brothers spending a single day with the father they barely know, against the backdrop of Nigeria’s election crisis. It’s a small premise on paper, one day, one city, one fractured family, but the film uses that day to say something much bigger about fatherhood, memory, and what a country owes the people living through its instability. Directed by Davies Jr. and co-written with his brother Wale, the story draws from the filmmaker’s own life while digging into separation and the complicated relationship between fathers and sons during a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s history. Sope Dirisu leads as the father, with the young actors playing his sons carrying just as much of the emotional weight.

What makes this one worth talking about isn’t just the story, it’s the trail of firsts and awards behind it. “My Father’s Shadow” became the first Nigerian film ever selected for Cannes’ official Un Certain Regard section, and it didn’t just show up, it left with a Caméra d’Or Special Mention. From there it kept going: a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, recognition at the British Independent Film Awards, and a run through other major festivals that don’t usually make room for Nigerian stories this early in a director’s career.

A UK-Nigeria co-production landing on Netflix, reportedly, is exactly the kind of distribution moment the industry keeps saying it needs more of. Festival acclaim is one thing, but a Netflix date puts the film in front of people who’ll never buy a festival pass or track down a limited theatrical run. If the September 21 date holds, this becomes one of the more accessible ways for global audiences, and a lot of Nigerians at home, to actually see a film that’s been winning awards on their behalf for over a year.

Akinola Davies Jr. spent a decade circling this story with his brother before it became a script, and it shows. This isn’t a film chasing a trend, it’s one that waited for the right moment to exist. Whether you catch it for the history it’s already made or just for a story about fathers and sons that hits harder than expected, “My Father’s Shadow” is worth clearing an evening for when it lands on Netflix.