For the first time in its 80-year history, the Cannes Film Festival will feature a Nigerian film in official competition. This comes via My Father’s Shadow, selected for the Un Certain Regard section, an arena reserved for bold, original voices in global cinema. It’s a long-awaited moment for Africa’s most populous nation, now stepping onto one of the world’s most revered cinematic stages.
Written by Wale Davies and directed by Akinola Davies, My Father’s Shadow stars British-Nigerian actor Sope Dirisu. It tells a poignant story set in Lagos during the volatile aftermath of the annulled 1993 presidential election, following a father and his two young sons as they reconnect over the course of a day. As the official synopsis notes: “Set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election, two young brothers spend a day in Lagos with their estranged father.”
This is no typical Nigerian production. Beneath its simple plot lies an emotionally charged narrative about absence, memory, and reconciliation. It’s a distinctly Nigerian story told with nuance and anchored in a personal historical moment.
While the filmmakers may not come from the conventional Nollywood orbit, operating instead from diasporic perspectives, their success is a collective win for Nigerian cinema. It signals a widening of the frame, an invitation for more authentic, artful storytelling from Nigerian voices. My Father’s Shadow could reshape the trajectory of the industry in these ways:
A Nigerian Cinema Rebrand
A director of Nigerian origin’s selection at Cannes sends a clear message: Nigerian cinema is capable of meeting the highest standards of global artistic excellence. No longer confined to serving local or diasporic audiences alone, our films are now claiming space on the most prestigious arthouse stages.
For Nigeria’s emerging generation of arthouse filmmakers, this recognition is deeply validating. It affirms that their bold visual aesthetics, experimental forms, and unconventional narratives are vital. In an environment often shaped by commercial expectations, this moment empowers them to stay the course, knowing that their stories can resonate far beyond our borders.
The cultural narrative around Nigerian cinema is already shifting. The international acclaim for C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata signaled a new wave, one marked by daring, genre-defying storytelling. Now, with My Father’s Shadow, that wave swells. Collectively, these films reflect the layered realities of Nigerian life, pushing beyond regular tropes to offer the world a richer portrait of who we are.
Pressure to Refine Nollywood
A Cannes selection invites a necessary moment of introspection within Nigeria’s film industry. It raises the bar, and with it, urgent questions: Why have so few Nigerian productions broken into the global festival circuit? What structural or creative barriers keep our films from reaching these prestigious platforms?
Such reflection holds the potential to reshape the industry from within. It challenges producers, directors, and writers to re-evaluate every phase of the creative process, placing greater emphasis on script development, investing in more refined cinematography, and approaching directorial choices with renewed intention. The ripple effects may not be immediate or widespread, but their significance lies in their depth, not breadth.
As filmmaker Blessing Uzzi aptly noted in our conversation last year:“I feel like if we have 10 filmmakers every year doing good work, top work, or even five, it doesn’t have to be the whole industry.”
Her words capture a truth: transformative progress often starts with a few people.
Opening Doors for Funding and Co-Productions
Whether or not My Father’s Shadow aligns with conventional Nollywood aesthetics, its selection significantly boosts global awareness of Nigeria’s cinematic promise. This increased visibility can translate into real, tangible opportunities: access to prestigious grants, global co-production deals, and expanded distribution pipelines.
Importantly, the ripple effect of this moment extends well beyond the film’s immediate creators. It stands to benefit a wider ecosystem of Nigerian filmmakers, those who have quietly refined their craft despite operating with minimal support. As international players begin to recognize the diversity of stories coming out of Nigeria, long-shut doors may finally begin to open for local talent.
A Chance to Expand Our Definition of Nollywood
The distinction between a Cannes-selected film and conventional Nollywood fare prompts a vital question: What truly defines Nigerian cinema in today’s global context? Perhaps it’s time to move beyond rigid classifications and reimagine “Nollywood” as a broader, more inclusive term, one that embraces experimental voices, cross-cultural influences, and bold narrative forms born from the imagination of Nigerian storytellers.
This is a moment to reconceive Nollywood not as a living, evolving ecosystem that can hold space for both mainstream commercial hits and nuanced, arthouse explorations. By expanding our definition, we affirm that Nigerian cinema is not monolithic, but a spectrum of our collective identity.
We Can Shape the Narrative
This moment marks an inflection point. By fostering conversations across critical writing, social media, public forums, and longform essays, we can bridge this Cannes recognition with the broader trajectory of Nigerian cinema, embedding it within a larger growth narrative.
The significance here transcends the success of a single film. It offers an opportunity to see how Nigerian cinema is perceived, both at home and abroad. How we choose to narrate this milestone: how we document, amplify, and contextualize it, may ultimately shape its lasting impact and set new aspirations for the future of Nigerian filmmaking.
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