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This rousing film gives front seat access to the lively, political, and impassioned student Film Club, where students meet weekly and unpack critical issues facing young people in Nigeria today.

Students walk into school building

Synopsis

Every Thursday in the University of Ibadan, the oldest university in Nigeria, the student-run Film Club discusses films from around the world. Contrary to stereotypes of the new generation embodied in the Nigerian expression "Coconut Head Generation"—used to describe “stubborn and brainless youth”—these students transform a small lecture hall into an essential space for debate on pressing social issues from education and elections to gender and equality.

Media Gallery

Students walk into school building
A crowd with central male holding a sign that reads END SARS NOW
A class auditorium full of students
A photographer takes a picture of a student in cap and gown in front of a school banner

“Coconut Head Generation showcases the brilliance and resilience of young Nigerians who are coming together despite individual and collective struggles to create a space for themselves and reclaim their power. Their raw and rich perspectives challenge received wisdom as they engage ideas and each other, seeking new ways to shape society for good.” 
-    Anietie Ewang, researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch

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Credits

Alain Kassanda

Director
Headshot of filmmaker

Born in Kinshasa, Alain Kassanda (he/him) left the DRC for France at the age of 11. After studying communication, he has been staging cycles of movie showings in various Parisian theaters. He then became the programmer of an art house cinema for five years, in the suburbs of Paris, before moving to Ibadan, in southwestern Nigeria, from 2015 to 2019. There he directed Trouble Sleep, a medium-length film centered on the road, depicted from the perspectives of a taxi driver and a tax collector. The film received the Golden Dove for best film at the Dok Leipzig festival in 2020 and the special mention of the jury at the Visions du réel festival. This was followed by Colette and Justin, a feature film intertwining his family history and the history of the decolonization of the Congo. The film was part of the international competition at Idfa in 2022. Coconut Head Generation is his third film.