My Father’s Shadow. 2025. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr.

Film

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Held on Mon, Dec 1, 2025, 7:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1

My Father’s Shadow. 2025. Nigeria/UK. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr. Courtesy MUBI

My Father’s Shadow. 2025. Nigeria/UK. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr. Screenplay by Davies Jr., Wale Davies. With Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo. DCP courtesy MUBI. In Nigerian Pidgin, Yoruba, English; English subtitles. 94 min.

In 1993 Nigeria stood on the cusp of momentous change, anxiously awaiting the outcome of its first presidential election after a decade of military rule. Amid this political volatility, an often-absent father takes his two young sons on a trip from their rural home into the bustling, chaotic streets of Lagos. Unfamiliar with their old man, the wide-eyed boys observe how he navigates a journey filled with twists and turns, while taking in the mayhem and energy of the city. Cowritten by director Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother Wale Davies and inspired by their personal memories, this intimate, sensory-rich portrait—gorgeously shot on 16mm—interweaves family, coming-of-age, and political reckoning. Winner of Cannes’ Special Mention for Caméra d’Or (first feature)

Tickets are available to members at the Explore category and above beginning two weeks before each screening date. Additional tickets will be released to members and the general public one week before each screening date. Please note that space is extremely limited and tickets will be in high demand. Tickets can be reserved at moma.org/contenders beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.

For the Contenders series, due to limited availability, members at the Explore category and above receive two free tickets per membership.

If a screening is sold out, a standby line will form one hour before the start time. If you are a ticket holder and arrive after the scheduled start time, we cannot guarantee entry.

This film accompanies The Contenders 2025.

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