My Father’s Shadow
Synopsis
On what begins as an ordinary day, two brothers wait—restless, suspended—for the return of their estranged father, journalist and activist Folarin. He suddenly appears and takes his sons on a thrilling, unexpected trip into Lagos to collect his long-overdue unpaid salary. Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s pivotal 1993 presidential election, one that offers a choice between military rule and democracy, the city is bracing for backlash. Together, the three must navigate the commotion as the nation breathlessly awaits the results.
Based on director Akinola Davies Jr.’s personal experiences, My Father’s Shadow is a poetic and moving meditation on love, legacy, and the human cost of political conviction. The film delicately traces the intersections of social resistance and private reckoning, tenderly contrasting a complex portrait of fatherhood against his sons’ coming-of-age. Beautifully textured 16mm images lend authenticity and nostalgia to this snapshot of history.
Screenings & Events
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Media
Film Credits
- Rachel Dargavel, Funmbi Ogunbanwo
- Wale Davies
- Omar Guzmán Castro
- Jermaine Edwards
- Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo
- Duval Timothy, CJ Mirra
- Akinola Davies Jr., Wale Davies, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Eva Yates, Ama Ampadu, Christian Vesper
- Element Pictures, Fatherland
Sponsors
Program Patron
John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation
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Shorts 3: Black Perspectives
Synopsis
Close ties abound in these short films spanning Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, and the U.S. These six shorts explore the complicated relationships between parents and children, aunts and nieces, artists and their craft, and even former lovers.
In Breastmilk, first-time mother Aduke confronts societal expectations and the dynamics of her closest relationships as she struggles to breast feed. When a college student returns home for her grandmother’s repass, she gets a heavy dose of the best and worst her family has to offer in Them That’s Not. History and tradition live through contemporary musician Brandee Younger as she plays a specialized harp made for Alice Coltrane, gifted to Brandee by Alice’s children in Isis & Osiris. Not Dead displays modern-day exploration of W.E.B DuBois’s seminal work, portraying the heartbreaks of the Black experience across space and time. Victoria is a clear-eyed portrait of a single mother and businesswoman making it work in Nairobi, Kenya. The enemies-to-lovers trope jumps from page to reality when two voice actors butt heads in Narrated By.
Screenings & Events
There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.
Standby Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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Breastmilk
Synopsis
When new mother Aduke struggles to breastfeed, she encounters suggestions ranging from modern medical consultants to local folk remedies. As the women in her community rally in her corner, she gains the courage to turn an eye toward the negativity seeping into her family life.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 3: Black Perspectives.
Film Credits
- Gabriela Azevedo, Chioma Onyenwe, Ifeyinwa Arinze
- Ifeyinwa Arinze, 'Pemi Aguda
- Ifeyinwa Arinze
- Dominica Eriksen
- Meg Otanwa, Taye Arimoro
- Pierre Oberkampf
- https://www.ifeyinwaarinze.com/#/breastmilkshort/
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
