Akinola Davies Jr

(He/Him)

Akinola’s breakthrough project is the feature film My Father’s Shadow.

A driving force of the creative work of writer-director Akinola is an enduring wonder about the world, fuelled by an inquisitive childhood split between metropolitan Nigeria and rural Kent. From telling the story of young inline skaters in Lagos to documenting the untold lives of his London friends and making music videos with fellow BAFTA Breakthrough participant, Nathalie Pitters, Akinola has never lost that curiosity or respect for the collaborative effort needed to make his films.

It’s been a journey getting to the moment of his first theatrical release, My Father’s Shadow, selected by BAFTA to be the UK’s official submission for International Feature at next year’s Oscars. Studying English Language and Media Studies at Brighton University, working in a pub to save his own money to make his films, interning to gain experience, all experiences have led to this moment. Akinola is currently promoting My Father’s Shadow for general release in February 2026. He also recently completed a BBC funded series about Black life in the UK outside of London, is working on a documentary with Adam Curtis, and is in development talks with BBC Film for his next feature.

In their own words…

“For many, this might be their first introduction to me, but I’ve been building towards this for 15 years. Any acknowledgement of that journey makes all those sacrifices feel worth it… I’m very curious about other people’s experiences and love to know how things work. If I know how things work, I can then apply a certain level of my own aptitude towards those things, so they become less overwhelming. I’m super-excited for everything that comes with [BAFTA Breakthrough].”