Akinola Davies Jr.

Directing

Akinola Davies Jr.

Known for

Directing

Credits

12 titles

Akinola Ogunmade-Davies Jr. is a multi-disciplined filmmaker, writer & video artist. His work is situated between West Africa and the UK as he identifies as a member of the global diaspora who is situated within the margins of being part of both worlds. Akinola tries to delicately navigate the collision of both colonial and imperial tradition and whilst advocating a return to indigenous narratives. He explores themes of community, race, spirituality, identity and gender, telling the stories that bridge the gap between traditional and millennial communities. These themes come with a duality: that of necessity and urgency in regards to the medium of storytelling. There is a large emphasis o…

Known for

My Father's Shadow poster
7.2

Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city's magnitude and their father's daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.

My Father's Shadow

2025

Spirit poster
NR

A celebration of home and belonging in South London. This is a film that tows the line between documentary and narrative, and celebrates neighborhood and the rhythms of everyday life in South London. Friends for over a decade, their closeness runs through the piece; rooted in lived relationships, it resists spectacle in favor of quiet intimacy.

Spirit

2026

X US poster
NR

Two unaccompanied brothers embark on a journey to a new settlement on the moon planet Titan. Their interactions reflect the subtle naivety and anxious fear this huge moment means for each of them amidst an industrial sized group of migrants.

X US

2022

Lizard poster
5.7

An 8-year-old girl with an ability to sense danger gets ejected from Sunday school service. She unwittingly witnesses the underbelly in and around a Mega Church in Lagos.

Lizard

2021

SHADOWS OF A NATION poster
NR

SHADOWS OF A NATION is a short documentary that explores and observes the daily Brazilian life – an intimate interview with director Akinola Davies Jr, who becomes our narrator and guide in this story – a voice that emerges from the shadows while the story explores heritage, culture, family and sacrifice. Similarly to the director's own feature film, the journey follows in the footsteps of a people – now Brazilian – starting in the north, leaving behind your culture and customs, in search of a livelihood in the south, the promised land.

SHADOWS OF A NATION

2026

Rituals: Union Black poster
NR

Rituals: Union Black is a moving-image essay archiving the everyday rituals that underscore the rhythms of Black life in the UK. Part ethnographic, part poetic, it celebrates the nuances of the Black British experience. Through worship, weddings, playgrounds, spirituality, birthing, choir, cooking, and movement, Rituals: Union Black pays tribute to the collective resonances of Black life in abundance.

Rituals: Union Black

2026

Film credits

Behind the camera

My Father's Shadow poster
7.2

Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city's magnitude and their father's daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.

My Father's Shadow

2025

My Father's Shadow poster
7.2

Two young brothers explore Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, witnessing both the city's magnitude and their father's daily struggles as political unrest threatens their journey home.

My Father's Shadow

2025

Spirit poster
NR

A celebration of home and belonging in South London. This is a film that tows the line between documentary and narrative, and celebrates neighborhood and the rhythms of everyday life in South London. Friends for over a decade, their closeness runs through the piece; rooted in lived relationships, it resists spectacle in favor of quiet intimacy.

Spirit

2026

Spirit poster
NR

A celebration of home and belonging in South London. This is a film that tows the line between documentary and narrative, and celebrates neighborhood and the rhythms of everyday life in South London. Friends for over a decade, their closeness runs through the piece; rooted in lived relationships, it resists spectacle in favor of quiet intimacy.

Spirit

2026

X US poster
NR

Two unaccompanied brothers embark on a journey to a new settlement on the moon planet Titan. Their interactions reflect the subtle naivety and anxious fear this huge moment means for each of them amidst an industrial sized group of migrants.

X US

2022

X US poster
NR

Two unaccompanied brothers embark on a journey to a new settlement on the moon planet Titan. Their interactions reflect the subtle naivety and anxious fear this huge moment means for each of them amidst an industrial sized group of migrants.

X US

2022

Lizard poster
5.7

An 8-year-old girl with an ability to sense danger gets ejected from Sunday school service. She unwittingly witnesses the underbelly in and around a Mega Church in Lagos.

Lizard

2021

Lizard poster
5.7

An 8-year-old girl with an ability to sense danger gets ejected from Sunday school service. She unwittingly witnesses the underbelly in and around a Mega Church in Lagos.

Lizard

2021

Rituals: Union Black poster
NR

Rituals: Union Black is a moving-image essay archiving the everyday rituals that underscore the rhythms of Black life in the UK. Part ethnographic, part poetic, it celebrates the nuances of the Black British experience. Through worship, weddings, playgrounds, spirituality, birthing, choir, cooking, and movement, Rituals: Union Black pays tribute to the collective resonances of Black life in abundance.

Rituals: Union Black

2026

No artwork available
NR

Plot TBA. Described as a morality thriller set in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Delta Force Six

—

No artwork available
NR

Plot TBA. Described as a morality thriller set in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Delta Force Six

—