My Father's Shadow Trailer: U.K. Submission for the Oscars and Cannes Winner Premieres This February.

      Debuting in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, Akinola Davies Jr.’s highly regarded debut, My Father’s Shadow, subsequently received a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or and recently won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards, as well as Breakthrough Director and Outstanding Lead Performance at the Gotham Awards. Following an awards-qualifying run last month, MUBI is set to release the U.K.’s Oscar submission on February 6, and the first trailer has now been unveiled.

      The synopsis states: “A semi-autobiographical story unfolds over a single day in Lagos, Nigeria, during the 1993 election crisis. It follows a father, estranged from his two young sons, as they navigate the vast city while political unrest jeopardizes their journey home.”

      In his review, Alistair Ryder remarked, “Conveying an authentic, politically charged narrative from a child's viewpoint can pose a challenge. For stories set in eras like WWII, a lifetime of school lessons and pop culture creates a quick familiarity for viewers, enabling films to forgo extensive exposition and feel more genuine, despite lacking detailed discussions about Hitler’s actions at specific times. However, the school history curriculum across the Western world is rather limited—I could list non-WWII topics covered in my five years of British history classes using just one hand—meaning filmmakers seldom have the opportunity to tell a coming-of-age story in times of political upheaval without also guiding their audience as if they were the young characters. Set after the 1993 Nigerian Presidential election—when votes were still being counted and millions held naive hopes for a democratic transfer from an authoritarian regime that had recently ordered the military to kill numerous protesters—Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow loses its authenticity each time it pauses to provide the political context for its audience. Though it would be the primary subject of discussion at that moment, every time it arises, it’s addressed as if those speaking are being informed for the first time.”

      Watch the trailer below.