Showbiz
Cannes Film Festival Selects Nigeria’s ‘My Father’s Shadow’
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has made history at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival with My Father’s Shadow becoming the first Nigerian film in its official selection.
The film, which premieres in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, is produced by Rachel Dargavel of Element Pictures and Fumnbi Ogunbanwo for Lagos-based Fatherland Prods.
It was directed by Akinola Davies Jr, who also co-wrote with his brother, Wale ‘Tec’ Davies of the Show Dem Camp rap duo. The brothers also served as executive producers.
Held every May in the city of Cannes, France, the Cannes Film Festival is the world’s most prestigious film event, bringing together top filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals to celebrate cinematic excellence. Since its inception in 1946, the festival has become a global stage for premiering groundbreaking films.
My Father’s Shadow is a semi-autobiographical film featuring Gangs of London star Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and is set in Lagos during the June 1993 election annulment.
The film follows a father and his two estranged sons as they travel across the chaotic metropolis while political unrest threatens their homeward journey.
Dìrísù plays Folarin, a hard-luck breadwinner trying to provide for his family, and breakout talents Chibuike Marvellous Egbo and Godwin Egbo as his two young boys – Remi and Akin.
The film begins on a pivotal June day in 1993, as Nigeria is eagerly awaiting the results of its first democratic election since the military coup that brought General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to power. The unofficial results suggest a victory for the opposition, leading millions of Nigerians to hope, which is slogan of Moshood Abiola, who is widely believed to have won the election.
On that fateful day, Folarin embarks on a journey to collect several months’ of owed salary from his employer in Lagos. With his wife out of town, he begrudgingly allows his sons to tag along, not knowing that the country is on the brink of an electoral crisis.
The story is based on the Davies family and is composed in the form of a letter to their late father (who Folarin is based on) with Wale Davies writing the script more than ten years ago, with touches and input from his director brother in critical stages over the years.
Wale Davies says My Father’s Shadow is also a tribute to Lagos, a city whose daily life, often resembles a movie set.
Everything looks like a film,” he says, “I could look on my street — there’s just always something exciting happening.”
The brothers had collaborated on the short film Lizard, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was nominated for a BAFTA.
Mubi, which acquired the film ahead of its Cannes debut, is planning a theatrical release in North America and the United Kingdom. The Match Factory is handling international sales, with a possible Nigerian cinema release anticipated.
Showbiz
Before Season 4: The Characters Who Shaped the Rise and Fall of Wura
Power has shifted, loyalties have been tested, and secrets are no longer buried. As Wura returns for Season 4, before the next chapter unfolds, it’s the perfect moment to revisit the characters whose ambition, secrets, and rivalries have driven the series’ gripping tale of power and consequence. Here are the characters who have shaped the story so far from Season 1 -3.
Mrs Adeleke (Wura)
The boss lady, ruthless CEO of Frontline Gold Mine and the woman at the centre of it all.
Wura built her empire on carefully buried secrets and ruthless decisions. Anyone who threatened her power in the last seasons was silenced, and every move she made was calculated to keep her throne intact.
But power built without mercy eventually demands payment. In the end, Wura’s world collapsed when she discovered the most devastating truth of all: the daughter she had killed in her quest to protect her secrets was actually her own. Faced with the weight of her actions, she pulled the trigger on herself, leaving behind a legacy of power, destruction, and unanswered questions.
Tumininu (Tumi)
Tumi’s journey began with a simple mission: find the truth about her father. What followed was a dangerous path filled with lies, betrayals, and powerful enemies.
Determined and fearless, Tumi chased every clue and confronted the darkest secrets surrounding her family. But the biggest revelation came too late, the woman she had grown to hate the most was the one who gave birth to her.
In her pursuit of justice, Tumi paid the ultimate price. Sometimes the truth costs everything.
Jeje
Jeje was the man caught between two worlds.
Husband to Tumi, yet deeply connected to Wura’s shadowy reality.
For a long time, he carried dangerous truths that could destroy everything. When Jeje finally revealed that Wura was responsible for Tumi’s father’s death, it set off a chain reaction that neither love nor loyalty could stop. His confession changed the course of every life connected to the Frontline empire.
Mr Adeleke
A respected man sworn to fight crime and uphold justice. Yet the greatest criminal in his life was the woman he loved, Wura.
Mr Adeleke shared a home with Wura, blind to the darkness hiding in plain sight. Even as the signs became impossible to ignore, his love for her clouded his judgment.
It raises a haunting question: how do you police an entire city, yet fail to see the truth inside your own home?
Iyabo
Iyabo was the quiet force that kept the family together until one truth shattered everything.
Without warning, she revealed the secret that changed the entire story: Tumi was not her biological daughter. No preparation. No gentle explanation. Just a truth that landed like a storm in a fragile family. Family secrets destroy everyone.
As Wura launches its Season 4 this March, the story moves beyond the secrets. With the truth now exposed and the consequences still unfolding, the next chapter promises new power struggles, shifting loyalties, and choices that change everything.
In Wura’s world, the past never stays buried, and the next season may prove that the real battle is only just beginning.
To upgrade, subscribe, or reconnect, download the MyGOtv App or dial *288#. For catch-up and on-the-go viewing, download the GOtv Stream App and enjoy your favourite shows anytime, anywhere.
Showbiz
Paramount+, HBO Max to Become One Streaming Entity After WBD Deal
By Adedapo Adesanya
Paramount+ and HBO Max will become a single, unified streaming service after Paramount Skydance stepped in to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) following the surprise exit of Netflix from the bid.
The company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Mr David Ellison, announced during a call with investors on Monday that the company plans to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single, unified platform.
“Our combined company will be home to many of the greatest, most recognisable and beloved franchises in the world, from ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Top Gun,’ ‘Star Trek’ to ‘Looney Tunes,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Yellowstone.’ This represents a tremendous opportunity, and we fully intend to invest in the creative engines of both studios, making them the most sought-after destination for the industry’s leading creative talent,” he said.
Mr Ellison also reassured investors that HBO’s identity and creative vision as a studio would remain unchanged.
“Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO.” He also committed to maintaining a robust theatrical slate, pledging 15 films per year, per studio, for a total of at least 30 annual theatrical releases.
This announcement comes on the heels of Paramount’s recent agreement to acquire WBD in a deal estimated at $110 billion. The merger would bring together a vast array of film, TV, and news assets under one corporate entity and is expected to upend the Hollywood landscape as we know it. It also furthers the trend of consolidation seen among other major streaming platforms, such as the combination of Disney+ and Hulu.
With a projected subscriber base of over 200 million, the new streaming service will be positioned as a serious contender among the top streaming giants.
However, the merger also invites close scrutiny from the US Department of Justice over concerns about media concentration and market competition.
Also, industry observers warn that the merger is likely to result in significant job cuts, heightening employee anxieties over layoffs and wage reductions.
There have also been concerns over editorial independence, particularly in light of the Ellison family’s political connections to Donald Trump and increasing scrutiny of newsrooms at CBS and CNN.
Regardless of the concerns, Mr Ellison was optimistic that the transaction would move forward smoothly.
He described the merger as “pro-competition, pro-consumer, and pro-creative community,” emphasising the transaction will “create a stronger Hollywood and global production ecosystem, one that expands consumer choice and unlocks opportunities for creative talent.”
Showbiz
Netflix Walks Away from Warner Bros Deal After Paramount’s Huge Offer
By Adedapo Adesanya
Streaming giant, Netflix, has backed away from its proposal to buy Warner Bros Discovery, clearing the way for Paramount Skydance to win the long battle for one of Hollywood’s most storied studios in a deal worth over $100 billion.
Warner Bros, which announced it was up for sale last year, said Paramount’s latest bid was “superior” to the one from Netflix, which in turn refused to raise its offer.
Paramount, which has been insistent regarding the deal, would also need approval from the US Department of Justice as well as European regulators.
Netflix executives say they have declined to match Paramount’s bid as “the deal is no longer financially attractive” at that price.
The buyer would gain control of the iconic studio along with its films and media networks.
The takeover has been touted to significantly reshape the global media landscape, which includes the streaming market.
Last December, Warner Bros agreed to a takeover offer from Netflix for some of its assets, in a deal worth roughly $82 billion, including debt.
Paramount then made a rival proposal, which was refused by Warner Bros, but an increased offer was made earlier this week, boosted by $1 per share.
“The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval,” Netflix co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said in a statement. “However, we’ve always been disciplined.”
“This transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” the Netflix executives added.
The announcement came just hours after Mr Sarandos had visited the White House on Thursday.
The development marks the possible end of the saga that saw offers and refusals and could possibly change the global streaming market as Paramount is backed by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Oracle owner, Mr Larry Ellison.
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