Looked down upon by their elders, Nigerian students reclaim their agency in Alain Kassanda’s rousing documentary, in which observational vignettes bristle with political urgency. Seeking an education outside hallowed lecture halls, young activists turn their love of radical cinema into protest.

Channeling the tumult of Ibadan through handheld camerawork, Trouble Sleep uncovers the invisible labor that powers the growing metropolis. Exuberant bursts of music punctuate Alain Kassanda’s freewheeling short, which lends a poetic dignity to the struggles of young city dwellers.

Dismantling dominant narratives, Alain Kassanda’s debut feature interleaves imperialist images of colonial Congo with moving stories from his own family. From this polyphonic montage, an intergenerational dialogue emerges, exposing the ideological forces behind the process of image production.