Akinola Davies Jr.’s Lagos-set coming-of-age tale My Father’s Shadow and Harry Lighton’s kinky queer romance Pillion are among the frontrunners at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards ( BIFAs ), which revealed its nominations on Monday.

Unveiled by actors Ben Hardy and Saura Lightfoot-Leon at One Hundred Shoreditch in London, Davies’ directorial debut leads the BIFA nominations with 12 nods, closely followed by Lighton’s Pillion with 10. Both features premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews. Davies and Lighton also scored best debut director nominations, as well as best screenplay and best debut screenwriter noms, among others.

Akinola Davies Jr.’s Lagos-set coming-of-age tale My Father’s Shadow and Harry Lighton’s kinky queer romance Pilli

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