From Nigeria, Iraq and Chile, three gems in the running for the Caméra d'Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival

Nigeria My Father's Shadow

Birds of prey circle in the sky. Fruits that have fallen to the ground are just wilting. Inside the houses, the sweltering heat attacks the paint and cladding. In a few images, the tone is set: My Father's Shadow, the first Nigerian film ever screened at Cannes (Un Certain Regard section) , presents itself as a challenge to time and oblivion.

Director Akinola Davies Jr., who came from the world of hip-hop, took on a traumatic event from his childhood: the death of his father when he was less than 2 years old. Based on a screenplay co-written with his brother Wales, who also produced, he tells the story of two brothers, aged 8 and 11, Akinola and Olaremi (Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo). They grow up in Ibadan, in southwest Nigeria, without their father, Folarin (Sope Dirisu), who lives and works far away in Lagos to support his family. In the summer of 1993, he arrives to spend a day with them—a final day, we quickly sense, as the country is on the verge of violent post-election riots and a tightening of the military dictatorship. “For one day, the two boys get a glimpse into the life and history of their father, whom they have rarely seen. They learn to love and understand him, while also discovering his flaws and weaknesses,” summarizes the British daily The Guardian .

Filmed from a child's perspective, My Father's Shadow has the power and fragility of a dream. It is a feature film with a stylish aesthetic, full of colors and sometimes contradictory sensations. “We wanted to show what it means, in reality, to be Nigerian. Tranquility reigns and, the next moment, it can be chaos,” Akinola Davies Jr. told OkayAfrica . “While political tensions form the foundation of the film, it draws its brilliance from the moments of calm and gentleness it creates.”