Akinola Davies Jr. has won the Best Director award at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) for his debut feature film My Father’s Shadow.
The British High Commission in Nigeria highlighted the win on X, describing Davies as a British-Nigerian filmmaker. The film received 11 BIFA nominations but took home only the directing prize.
My Father’s Shadow is a drama set in Lagos in 1993, during Nigeria’s disputed presidential election. It follows two brothers who return from London to reunite with their estranged father. Davies co-wrote the screenplay with his brother, drawing on family experiences.
The film marked a milestone as the first Nigerian feature to compete at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It was produced by Ireland’s Element Pictures.
Davies, a graduate of the BAFTA Breakthrough programme, is based in London and known for short films and music videos before making his first feature.
The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) stands as a vital platform for celebrating the ingenuity and diverse voices within UK filmmaking, specifically championing films made outside the major studio system. Established in 1998, the awards are dedicated to promoting British independent film, supporting new talent, and ensuring the work is seen by a wider audience.
In recent years, BIFA has consistently highlighted groundbreaking and challenging cinema, often recognizing films that achieve critical success before gaining mainstream recognition.
Previous winners in the category include Rungano Nyoni for ‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’, Andrew Haigh for ‘All of Us Strangers’, Charlotte Wells for ‘Aftersun’, among others, dating back to 1998.
The British High Commission noted that the award “shows the strength of creative links between the UK and Nigeria.” My Father’s Shadow has not yet announced a UK or Nigerian release date.
