How Director Akinola Davies Jr Made History at Cannes Film Festival- And What It Took to Get There

Akinola Davies Jr is a British-Nigerian filmmaker whose debut feature made history as the first Nigerian film ever selected to premiere in Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival — earning a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or and later becoming the UK’s Oscar entry.

In this episode of Visionaries, we sat down to discuss how Akin’s work is constantly weaving worlds and the creative faith it takes to make something that hasn’t been done before.

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Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction: Making History at Cannes Film Festival 00:07:21 Brothers in Creation: Writing with Family 00:15:21 Working with Friends and Breaking the Rules 00:21:45 Building Infrastructure: Seven Years in Lagos 00:26:13 The Delusion Required: Believing Against the Odds 00:39:56 From Protest to Process: Political Awakening 00:53:12 Digital Fast Food: Staying Focused in the Age of Distraction

Visionaries with Alice Aedy

Producer - Chloe Puttock Art Director - Liliana Saldanha

Director - Issey Rider Camera Operator - Stephan Knight + Sam Mulvey Lighting - Al Rice

Editor - Tom Forsey + Paolina Stefani Colour Grade - Jasper Brown

Music by the talented Jon Hopkins