28th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival
Coconut Head Generation
director: Alain Kassanda
original title: Coconut Head Generation
year: 2023
running time: 89 min.
synopsis
One of the most prominent institutions of higher learning in Nigeria is the University of Ibadan, founded during the era of British colonial rule. It now has over 30,000 students. A handful of them meet every Thursday in one of the lecture halls to watch selected works by African filmmakers as part of a film club. The films, which deal with the ever-present problems of post-colonial countries, provoke heated discussions. Thanks to the nimble handheld camera, we become participants ourselves. During the protests against police brutality, the students' passion for political and social issues, sparked by the films they have seen, spills beyond the walls of the university building.“I would say that it’s an attempt to render visible the reality of Nigerian students. I wanted to depict the ordinary beauty and intelligence they display despite the challenges they face.” — Alain Kassanda
Source: New Directors/New Films
biography
Alain Kassanda was born in Kinshasa. He has lived in France since the age of 11. After studying communication, he spent five years as the programmer of the art cinema Les 39 Marches in the suburbs of Paris. In 2015, he moved to Ibadan in south-western Nigeria. He dedicated a film triptych to the city consisting of Trouble Sleep (2020), Colette and Justin (2022) and Coconut Head Generation (2023).more about film
| director: | Alain Kassanda |
| producer: | Alain Kassanda |
| script: | Alain Kassanda |
| photography: | Alain Kassanda, Tobi Akinde |
| editing: | Alain Kassanda |
| sound design: | Jocelyn Robert |
| art director: | Emmanuel Fraisse |
