‘My Father’s Shadow’ Wins Big at 79th BAFTAs as Nigerian Creatives Shine on Global Stage

 

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Nigerian-British filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr has achieved a major international milestone after his film My Father’s Shadow won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer award at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

The critically acclaimed film, produced and directed by Davies Jr, is set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s historic 1993 presidential election, which was later annulled by the military government. The story was developed alongside his elder brother, Wale Davies — one half of the celebrated Nigerian rap duo Show Dem Camp — as a tribute to their late father, who passed away during their childhood.

The film had earlier made waves after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, earning global praise for its emotional storytelling and cultural depth.

Another highlight of the night was Nigerian-British actress Wunmi Mosaku, who clinched the Supporting Actress award for her performance as Annie in the 2025 film Sinners.

Meanwhile, One Battle After Another emerged as the biggest winner of the night, leading nominations with 14 nods and securing six major awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor.

Below is the complete list of nominees and winners, presented in the official BAFTA format, with winners in bold:

Best Film

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

Director

• Yorgos Lanthimos – Bugonia

• Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

• Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

• Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

• Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Outstanding British Film

• 28 Years Later

• The Ballad Of Wallis Island

• Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

• Die My Love

• H Is For Hawk

• Hamnet

• I Swear

• Mr Burton

• Pillion

• Steve

Leading Actress

• Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

• Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

• Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue

• Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another

• Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

• Emma Stone – Bugonia

Leading Actor

• Robert Aramayo – I Swear

• Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

• Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

• Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

• Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

• Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

Supporting Actress

• Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme

• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value

• Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners

• Carey Mulligan – The Ballad Of Wallis Island

• Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

• Emily Watson – Hamnet

Supporting Actor

• Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another

• Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

• Paul Mescal – Hamnet

• Peter Mullan – I Swear

• Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

• Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Film Not In The English Language

• It Was Just An Accident

• The Secret Agent

• Sentimental Value

• Sirāt

• The Voice Of Hind Rajab

Animated Film

• Elio

• Little Amélie

• Zootropolis 2

Children’s & Family Film

• Arco

• Boong

• Lilo & Stitch

• Zootropolis 2

Adapted Screenplay

• The Ballad Of Wallis Island – Tom Basden, Tim Key

• Bugonia – Will Tracy

• Hamnet – Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell

• One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson

• Pillion – Harry Lighton

Original Screenplay

• I Swear – Kirk Jones

• Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie

• The Secret Agent – Kleber Mendonça Filho

• Sentimental Value – Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

• Sinners – Ryan Coogler

Documentary

• 2000 Meters To Andriivka

• Apocalypse In The Tropics

• Cover-Up

• Mr. Nobody Against Putin

• The Perfect Neighbor

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer

• The Ceremony – Jack King (director, writer), Hollie Bryan (producer), Lucy Meer (producer)

• My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr (director), Wale Davies (writer)

• Pillion – Harry Lighton (director, writer)

• A Want In Her – Myrid Carten (director)

• Wasteman – Cal Mcmau (director), Hunter Andrews (writer), Eoin Doran (writer)

EE Rising Star Award (Voted For By The Public)

• Robert Aramayo

• Miles Caton

• Chase Infiniti

• Archie Madekwe

• Posy Sterling

Original Score

• Bugonia – Jerskin Fendrix

• Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat

• Hamnet – Max Richter

• One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood

• Sinners – Ludwig Göransson

Sound

• F1 – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta

• Frankenstein – Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitallie, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoem

• One Battle After Another – Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor

• Sinners – Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco

• Warfare – Mitch Low, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner

Cinematography

• Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen

• Marty Supreme – Darius Khondji

• One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman

• Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw

• Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

Costume Design

• Frankenstein – Kate Hawley

• Hamnet – Malgosia Turzanska

• Marty Supreme – Miyako Bellizzi

• Sinners – Ruth E. Carter

• Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

Editing

• F1 – Stephen Mirrione

• A House Of Dynamite – Kirk Baxter

• Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie

• One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen

• Sinners – Michael P. Shawver

Casting

• I Swear – Lauren Evans

• Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti

• One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis

• Sentimental Value – Yngvill Kolset Haga, Avy Kaufman

• Sinners – Francine Maisler

Production Design

• Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau

• Hamnet – Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

• Marty Supreme – Jack Fisk, Adam Willis

• One Battle After Another – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino

• Sinners – Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne

Special Visual Effects

• Avatar: Fire And Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Eric Saindon

• F1 – Ryan Tudhope, Keith Alfred Dawson, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington

• Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell

• How To Train Your Dragon – Christian Mänz, Francois Lambert, Glen Mcintosh, Terry Palmer

• The Lost Bus – Charlie Noble, Brandon K. Mclaughlin, David Zaretti

British Short Film

• Magid / Zafar – Luis Hindman, Sufiyaan Salam, Aidan Robert Brooks

• Nostalgie – Kathryn Ferguson, Stacey Gregg, Marc Robinson, Kath Mattock

• Terence – Edem Kelman, Noah Reich

• This Is Endometriosis – Georgie Wileman, Matt Houghton, Harriette Wright

• Welcome Home – Freckles Huiju Park, Nathan Hendren

British Short Animation

• Cardboard – J.P. Vine, Michaela Manas Malina

• Solstice – Luke Angus

• Two Black Boys In Paradise – Baz Sells, Dean Atta, Ben Jackson

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