Donald Glover — aka Childish Gambino — finally debuted his long-awaited, secretive film project, Guava Island, last night at Coachella. Per Pitchfork, in order to maintain the film’s air of mystery, attendees’ phones were stored during the screening to avoid any leaks, but Pitchfork’s reporters were able to share a few details about the plot ahead of its 5:30 PM PST / 8:30 PM EST premiere on Coachella’s Youtube livestream.
The story revolves around Glover’s character Deni, who dates Rihanna’s Kofi. Deni becomes a local celebrity in their island community, tries to throw a festival, and runs into political complications. The primary conflict arises from Deni’s choice to save himself from his boss’s threats or continue with his plans to provide for the island. The film is peppered with performances from Childish Gambino songs like 2018’s “This Is America” and “Feels Like Summer,” along with shorter jingles.
The film was produced by Glover, Fam Udeorji, and Carmen Cuba, directed by frequent Glover collaborator Hiro Murai, and written by Donald’s brother Stephen Glover. It also stars Black Panther‘s Letitia Wright and Game Of Thrones‘ Nonso Anozie. The film will air live on Coachella’s Youtube later today, becoming available for on-demand streaming via Amazon Prime for 18 hours as of tomorrow.
