Named for the belittling label the older generation of Nigeria has given for its aimless youth, Alain Kassanda’s Coconut Head Generation refutes this supposition by taking an engaging look at the productive and thoughtful study of the country’s oldest college, the University of Ibadan. A top prize winner at Cinéma du réel and New Directors/New Films selection, the film specifically explores a film club that gives fertile ground to politically debate the images they are seeing from the likes of Med Hondo and John Akomfrah and how they connect to modern-day issues. Ahead of an April 26 release at BAM from Several Futures, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new U.S. trailer.
“In Coconut Head Generation, students form a weekly film series at the University of Ibadan, the oldest collegiate institution in Nigeria. In his sophomore feature documentary, director Alain Kassanda examines how this club isn’t just a place of belonging and watching cinema, but also for collective action against the systemic downfalls at Ibadan and the world,” said Edward Frumkin in our New Directors/New Films coverage last year. “Throughout profound moments of speakers highlighting intersectional inequalities, Kassanda inserts moments of students performing recreational activities to inform audiences that they are at the earliest, precarious stages of their adult years. As the film’s scope expands, a coming-of-age celebration of youth evolves into a resistance to perpetuate the status quo.”
See the exclusive trailer below.
Coconut Head Generation opens on April 26 at BAM.