Key Highlights
- has spent the past decade shaping culture across film, art, music and fashion, but 2025 is his biggest yet.
- The BAFTA-nominated, Sundance Award–winning filmmaker premiered his debut feature My Father’s Shadow at Cannes, where it became the first Nigerian film to receive a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or.
- FilmOne Entertainment / Mubi Now named a 2025 BAFTA Breakthrough – an initiative supported by Netflix – we sat down with Akinola to discuss the long road to his first feature, the collaborators who shaped him, and why telling nuanced diasporic stories remains at the heart of his work.
- Gareth Cattermole / for IMDb The BAFTA Breakthrough programme is BAFTA’s flagship talent-development initiative, spotlighting the most exciting emerging voices in film, games and television.
- Each year, selected creatives receive year-round industry support, mentorship and global networking opportunities to help accelerate the next stage of their careers.
