The S16 Film Festival has announced its feature lineup for 2025, with My Father’s Shadow selected as this year’s special presentation.
Directed by Akinola Davies Jr., the film made history as Nigeria’s first Cannes Official Selection in the Un Certain Regard competition, where it received a Special Jury Mention.
The screening marks a return to Nigeria for the film, which was recently named the United Kingdom’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
The festival will also host the Nigerian premiere of Rwandan filmmaker Mbabazi Sharagabo Philbert Aime’s Minimals in a Titanic World and screen Fantastique by Marjolijn Prins, alongside a Brazil Short Presentation.
Short films in the program include Uzoamaka Power’s Siraam, Joan Iyiola’s Mango, Rolf Hellat’s Deja Nu, and Dike’s There’d Be Days Like This. Each title adds a distinct perspective to this year’s curation.
My Father’s Shadow, co-produced by Mubi, Element Pictures, and Fatherland Productions, stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù alongside Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo. Shot over a single day, the film follows two young boys traveling with their estranged father from a rural Nigerian village to Lagos during the 1993 election crisis, a period marked by political tension and national uncertainty.
