After the AMVCA Sweep, Funmbi Ogunbanwo Reflects on the Creation of “My Father’s Shadow” as the Film Returns to Nigerian Cinemas in June

Still from My Father’s Shadow, a film directed by Akinola Davies Jr. and written by Wale Davies. Credit: Lakin Ogunbanwo

At the twelfth African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, on 9th May, My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr.’s directorial debut, swept the major and most wins at the award show, including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Writing and others. The film was initially released in 16 states across Nigeria from September to October 2025, but due to its short run in Nigerian cinemas, most Nigerians missed out on watching the film. However, the recent AMVCA major awards clearouts ignite Nigerians’ interest in watching the film.

Therefore, to coincide with the month of Democracy in Nigeria, as My Father’s Shadow is a semi-autobiographical tale set over the course of a single day in the then Nigerian capital Lagos during the 1993 general election crisis, the film will return to Nigerian cinemas from 5th June 2026 for a special limited re-release in partnership with FilmOne Entertainment. The re-release is meant to invite audiences to revisit the acclaimed film as a living archive of memory and nationhood ahead of June 12.

Ahead of its re-release, we sat with the film’s producer, Funmbi Ogunbanwo, on the process of making the film, her personal story, working with Wale Davies and Akinola Danies Jr., their company Fatherland, and her general observations on the status of Nollywood.

Enjoy the conversation.

Funmbi Ogunbanwo at the AMVCA.

Hello Funmbi. How are you feeling today?

I’m feeling very well, very blessed, deeply fulfilled and humbled.

Congratulations to you and the team on the recent AMVCA wins. My Father’s Shadow is a terrific film, and it deservedly won most of the major categories. While shooting the film, as the producer, did you and the team envisage the film to be this successful?

No, we didn’t envisage that it would be this successful. My Father’s Shadow is a beautiful story and very gripping. At heart, it’s an honest take by Wale and Akin on what it means to deal with grief. It’s an honest take on Nigeria as a country and Nigeria as a father, on being a child and longing for the love of a father. It’s that honesty we always knew and felt when making the film. With these things, you almost never know, and you’re just showing up every day. We didn’t think it would be this successful.

Well, it turns out to be successful, winning multiple awards and premiering arguably the biggest movie stage in the world. Please tell us about the early days of My Father’s Shadow when the idea to shoot the film emerged

I’ve been working with Akin and Wale for many years now. We founded Fatherland together. I lead Fatherland as CEO and co-founder. My Father’s Shadow was a project we’ve been working on together for many years now. It was first written as a short film that Wale sent to me, which I thought was very beautiful. Wale would tell you he’s a new writer, and this is his first feature, but I could hear the tone of voice clearly in the script. For me, clarity is always a big thing in anything I’m working on. In any script or story, is the voice clear? When Akin and Wale decided to develop it into a feature from a short film, that clarity shone even more. The location, the 90s, was the detail and the subtlety. Not having light in your house as a 90s kid and playing outside with action figures, longing for your father to come back so you can play with him.

What prompted the foundation of Fatherland as a production company, and how has it been managing and directing the affairs of the production company?

Fatherland is a production company founded by Wale, myself and Akinola Davies.

I’m their unofficial adopted sister. Read Original