Rupert Everett will preside over the jury of the 36th Dinard Festival of British & Irish Film, where Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow has been selected to compete alongside Dylan Southern’s The Thing With Feathers. The coastal festival in Brittany runs October 1–5 and spotlights new U.K. and Ireland productions with a handful of international partners.
Organizers say Everett leads a panel that includes performers and creatives from across television, film and documentary. Recent trade notices list Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax among jurors, alongside figures from France and the U.K., reflecting the event’s cross-Channel identity. The festival positions Dinard as a meeting point for British and Irish cinema and local audiences, with juried prizes announced at week’s end.
My Father’s Shadow, Davies’ feature debut, follows two boys who spend a charged day with their estranged father in Lagos during Nigeria’s 1993 election crisis. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in May and received a special distinction from the Caméra d’Or jury, marking the first time a Nigerian film was selected for the festival’s official lineup.
The Thing With Feathers, adapted from Max Porter’s novella, centers on a grieving father and his two sons visited by a crow that both haunts and protects them. Benedict Cumberbatch stars and produces; the film bowed at Sundance in January and later played Berlin, where Cumberbatch discussed the role’s emotional demands during press.
Dinard’s competition typically fields five features, with additional titles to be unveiled in the coming days alongside special screenings and conversations. The 2025 edition extends a long-running bridge between French cinephiles and English-language storytelling, with Everett’s appointment signaling a jury that spans comedy, drama and nonfiction backgrounds.
