One day with my father: magnetic trailer for the Cannes gem
An intriguing film about the Nigerian crisis of 1993.
Highly applauded by critics and awarded a Special Mention for the Camera d’Or at the last Cannes Film Festival, Akinola Davies Jr.’s film is one of the curiosities of 2026.
Retro photography, magnetic music and documentary archives in the midst of political conflict: One day with my father (My Father’s Shadow) is revealed in a rhythmic and captivating trailer.
Revealed by the short film LizartGrand Prize at Sundance in 2021, Akinola Davies Jr., British-Nigerian filmmaker and writer, goes long with a semi-autobiographical film. 1993, Lagos, capital of Nigeria, 24 hours in the life of a father and his two sons in the middle of the electoral crisis, one of the most important in the country’s history.
Initially, it was supposed to be another short. The idea for this story, which arose in 2015 in the heads of the director and his brother Wale, gradually took the form of a feature film. Through this film, the two brothers summon the figure of absence, that of their father.
Presented as “a must-see of cinema” by VarietyAkinola Davies Jr. enters through the front door with a work as intimate as it is universal. With its selection in Un Certain Regard, One day with my father became the first Nigerian film presented at the Cannes Film Festival.
Synopsis: “A Day with My Father is a semi-autobiographical story set over a single day in the Nigerian capital, Lagos, during the 1993 electoral crisis. A father attempts to guide his two young sons through the immense city as political unrest looms.”
One day with my father will be released on March 25 in French theaters. Trailer:
