Sundance Award and BAFTA nominee Akinola Davies Jr.

Located in Lagos, the big Nigerian Lagos, the film follows a father and his two estranged sons through a chaotic metropolis while political unrest threatens their home trip. It features as Folarin, a tough breadwinner trying to provide for his family and with a quirky talented marvelous Egbo and Godwin Egbo as his two little boys.

The first Nigerian film in Cannes' official selection, My Father's Shadow, was produced by Rachel Dargavel of the "Poor Things". It was directed by Davies Jr., who co-wrote a script with his brother Wale, who both serve as executive producers.

Mubi acquired the film ahead of the Cannes debut, which is scheduled to release dramatic in North America and the UK, while the UK competition factory is handling international sales.

The film begins on a key day in June 1993 as Nigeria eagerly awaits the results of its first democratic election since the military coup brought about strongman Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. The informal results show that the opposition has won, leading to millions of Nigerians insisting on their hopes of a new day in West African countries.

Folarin, played by Dìrísù, has his own hope for New Nigeria. But on that decisive day, he was taking a more mundane mission to collect months of back wages from his employer in Lagos. With his wife out, he unabashedly allowed his sons to label them, unaware that the country was on the verge of an election crisis.

In the subsequent political drama, the filmmaker discovers the echo of Folarin’s own struggle for his family, Wale notes: “Your country is to… take care of you, almost like a father or mother. But what happens when a promise (breaking) promise?”

Newcomers on screen, Chibuike Marvelous and Godwin Egbo bring natural chemistry to the roles of Remi and Akin. The director said that listing the brothers as his wings, dìrísù “give them their parenting” so much that at the end of the filming, “they were always together,” the director said.

"My Father's Shadow" marks the culmination of the long creative journey of the Davies Brothers, starting with the script Wale more than a decade ago. The script, in the form of a letter to the late father (Vale's writing is likened to "an experience outside the body"), elicits "emotional reactions of the internal organs" and reduces Akinola's tears.

After collaborating on the short film Lizard, which won a grand jury award and received a BAFTA nomination, the two decided to join forces again, despite Akinola's insistence that he had to "convince" his brother to hand him him to director. Wale gently mocked the young siblings, disagreeing, saying Akinola was the "best person to " convey the emotion behind the story inspired by his shared family life.

Wale said it was a deeply personal journey, and “My Father’s Shadow” also paid tribute to the rough charm and unexpected magic of Lagos.

"Everything looks like a movie," he said. "I can watch it on the street - there's always something exciting happening."