In ‘My Father’s Shadow,’ family memory and Nigerian history are resurectected

The British Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother Wale were both toddlers when their father died. As adults, they could hardly remember him. Then Wale had an idea for movie. What if, by some movie miracle, they had gotten to spend with their dad?

In “My Father’s Shadow,” the Davies brothers pay tribute to him in a shattering father-son tale set across such a day in Nigeria.

The film, Akinola’s directing debut, has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed films of the past year, making history at the Cannes Film Festival and winning awards around the world.

A powerfully autobiographic work resonate with memory and loss, “My Father’s Shadow” is the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of the Davies’ brothers wondering.

Wale first sent Akinola a script in 2012. Wale had never before written a movie script; Akinola had never read one.

“With zero context, he sent it to