‘My Father’s Shadow’  to Open Film Africa 2025

Vanessa Obioha

British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. will open Film Africa 2025 with his debut feature, ‘My Father’s Shadow,’ when the festival runs from November 14 to 23 in London.

Co-written with his brother Wale Davies, the film is set in Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. It follows a father, estranged from his two young sons, as they navigate a city on the brink of unrest while trying to return home. Starring Sope Dirisu and real-life brothers Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo, the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director. The film also serves as the UK’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

The festival will close with ‘Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions,’ by Burkina Faso’s acclaimed director Dani Kouyaté, marking its UK premiere. A reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy in an African kingdom, the black-and-white film follows a general haunted by a prophecy that he will seize the crown or die trying. Blending Shakespearean drama with West African mythology, ‘Katanga’ has earned 10 nominations at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Presented by the Royal African Society, Film Africa is the UK and Europe’s leading festival celebrating African and diaspora cinema. This year’s edition will feature over 50 films and special events, including documentaries, shorts, and features, from more than 20 countries. “African cinema is entering a period of tremendous creative expansion,” said festival curator Keith Shiri. “We are seeing bold experimentation in form, genre, and distribution, with filmmakers blending realism, mythology, and futurism in entirely new ways. Film Africa’s role is to support this evolution, not only as a showcase but as a network that connects artists, institutions, and audiences.”

Other highlights include a tribute to the late Souleymane Cissé, the Malian filmmaker who redefined African cinema; a BAFTA masterclass with Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan; and a symposium on African Cinema and Liberation, featuring Sir John Akomfrah and Billy Woodberry, exploring cinema’s power to reclaim agency and resist colonial narratives.