Akinola Davies Jr.

Akinola Davies Jr. is a British-Nigerian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. He is best known for his debut film My Father's Shadow, winning of a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut, a British Independent Film Award and a Gotham Independent Film Award.

Early life and education Davies was born in London and raised between there and Lagos, Nigeria, as well as the United States. He is Yoruba. He began his career assisting photographers and filmmakers before completing a workshop at the New York Film Academy in 2009.

Career He went on to start creating music videos and commercials for brands like Gucci, Acne Studios, Moncler, Kenzo, Mulberry, and Louis Vuitton.

His 2020 short film Lizard, inspired by his childhood in Nigeria won the Grand Jury Prize for Short Film at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best British Short Film at the 2021 BAFTA Awards. Lizard also received a nomination from the London Critics Circle Film Awards and was selected for the BFI London Film Festival and Raindance Film Festival.

In 2025, Davies made his feature-length directorial debut with My Father's Shadow, co-written with his brother Wale Davies. My Father's Shadow premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, making history as the first Nigerian film selected for Cannes' official selection, winning the Caméra d'Or – Special Mention. The film also received severals nominations on awards shows, winning the British Independent Film Award for Best Director and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director.

Filmography

Film work

Year Title Credited as Notes RefDirectorWriterProducer 2018 Contactless Short film 2019 Black to Life BBC TV series 2020 Lizard Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 2025 My Father's Shadow Feature film debut

Awards and nominations AwardYearCategoryWorkResultRef BFI London Film Festival 2025 Sutherland Award My Father's Shadow British Academy Film Awards 2026 Outstanding Debut British Independent Film Award2025 Best Director Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) Cannes Film Festival 2025 Un Certain Regard Caméra d'Or – Special Mention Chicago International Film Festival 2025 Gold Hugo Special Mention Gotham Independent Film Awards 2025 Breakthrough Director International Film Festival of India 2025 Special Jury Award Seville European Film Festival 2025 Rampa Award Sundance Film Festival 2021 Short Film Grand Jury Prize Lizard