Director Akinola Davies Jr.’s Path To Acclaim: From Lizard To My Father’s Shadow, Both Now Available To Stream On MUBI - ShockNG

Akinola Ogunmade-Davies Jr.

Akinola Davies Jr. is a British-Nigerian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist who bridges Lagos and London through film. Born in London and raised partly in Lagos and the U.S., he honed his craft at the New York Film Academy. Early in his career, he directed music videos and commercials for top fashion houses like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. His short film Lizard, rooted in childhood memories of Nigeria, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and earned a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Film. In 2025, Davies made history with his feature debut My Father’s Shadow, co-written with his brother Wale. The film premiered in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard section, earning a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or. It marked the first-ever Nigerian film selected for the festival’s official selection. His ongoing work—rooted in identity, community, and memory—reveals stories that are personal yet universal, presented through a lens that spans continents yet stays deeply intimate.