On Sunday night, creatives, Akinola Davies Jr. Wale Davies, and Wunmi Mosaku surpassed nominees in various categories at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards, clinching top honors.
The BAFTA awards 2026 held on February 22, Sunday night, rewarding the best national and foreign films of 2025, at the Royal Festival Hall within London’s Southbank Centre.
These two brothers, Akinola Davies Jr. and Wale Davies, claimed the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer for their feature film My Father’s Shadow.
Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s turbulent 1993 presidential election, My Father’s Shadow follows two young brothers on a transformative day-long journey through Lagos with their father.
The film was shot entirely on location in Lagos and Ibadan. Speaking after the win, director Akinola Davies Jr. described the moment as “a dream realised for both our family and the many untold Nigerian stories that deserve to be seen around the world.”
The night also belonged to British-Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku, who won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Annie in Sinners. Mosaku edged out fellow nominees Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) and Emily Watson (Hamnet) to secure the award at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards.
Accepting the award while heavily pregnant, Mosaku delivered an emotional speech, dedicating the honour to her daughter. “You are my greatest teacher. Everything begins and ends with you,” she said.
A brief profile of the winners
Wale Davies Jr.
Wale Davies is a multi-potentialite creative. Growing up in Nigeria, Wale transitioned from a finance graduate program at Cisco in 2008 to co-found Show Dem Camp (SDC), one of the most influential rap duos to emerge from the continent.
As one half of SDC, he pioneered the “Palm Wine Music” sound, a genre-defining movement that has garnered millions of streams and global tour success.
- His impact extends beyond the stage he founded the Palm Wine Music Festival in 2018, which has since expanded internationally, with successful editions across the UK, North America, and Africa.
- Beyond his achievements as an artist, Wale is also an accomplished director and producer, with over 30 music videos to his credit.
He has collaborated with major brands such as Visa, Kenzo, Emirates Airlines, BBC, Farfetch, Carhartt, and Art X Lagos. His influence in film extends to co-producing the award-winning short film “Lizard,” which earned a BAFTA nomination and secured the Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Akinola Davies
Akinola Davies Jr. is a British-Nigerian filmmaker and visual artist whose work bridges personal memory, fashion, and socio-political storytelling.
- Born in London, he was raised between Lagos, Nigeria, and the United States. He began his creative career assisting photographers and filmmakers before completing a professional filmmaking workshop at the New York Film Academy in 2009.
- Davies built early recognition directing music videos and commercials for leading global fashion brands including Gucci, Acne Studios, Moncler, Kenzo, Mulberry, and Louis Vuitton. His breakthrough came with the short film Lizard (2020), inspired by his childhood in Nigeria.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Short Film at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and earned a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Film, alongside selections at the BFI London Film Festival and Raindance.
Wunmi Mosaku
Zaria-born Oluwunmi Olapeju Mosaku is a Nigerian and British actress popular for her role in high-grossing Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. She moved to Manchester at the age of one, where she was raised.
- Mosaku attended Trinity Church of England High School and Xaverian Sixth Form College, and sang for over a decade with the Manchester Girls Choir. She later trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2007 with a BA in Acting.
- Her big break came with the BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones (2009), where her performance earned her Best Actress in a Miniseries at the Rome Fiction Festival. She further gained recognition as Holly Lawson in ITV’s Vera. In 2017, Mosaku won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Damilola, Our Loved Boy.
Her international profile expanded through roles in Luther, HBO’s Lovecraft Country, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Loki. In 2026, she won the BAFTA and Gotham Award for Best Supporting Actress for Sinners, cementing her place among the most accomplished actors of her generation.
