Donald Glover’s surprise movie/music video/performance art piece/god knows what will be free to stream this afternoon ahead of his Coachella headliner this weekend. But there’s a catch — Guava Island is only free to watch on Amazon Prime Video from 5pm AEST today until 11am AEST Sunday. That’s only an 18-hour window if we did our maths correctly. After that, it will be available only to paid subscribers of Amazon Prime Video or Twitch subscribers. Guava Island was filmed secretly over four weeks in Cuba and stars Glover, also known by his rapper moniker Childish Gambino, as a singer named Deni who tries to mount a music festival on the island. A shifty figure named Red (Nonso Anozie from Game of Thrones) tries to stop Deni’s soulful endeavour to keep the island denizens hard at work. Rihanna has a role as Deni’s girlfriend while Black Panther star Letitia Wright features in a small role. Guava Island is only 54-minutes long and has been directed by frequent Glover collaborator Hiro Murai, who’s directed many episodes of Glover’s pioneering TV series Atlanta. Glover’s brother Stephen Glover is the screenwriter for Guava Island. Guava Island has been kept under wraps since word of its existence first leaked out some months back — not easy to do when a star as big as Rihanna is involved. Don’t expect Guava Island to be a conventional movie (not that Glover does anything conventionally), think of it as a showcase for his music and screen talents melded into one glorious package. Guava Island features remixes of some of Glover’s most recent music hits including Summertime Magic and Saturday. Glover said it was one of his favourite projects he’s ever worked on. Officially, Guava Island is being marketed as an expansion of Glover’s “idea of freedom”. The creative powerhouse hijacked the Zeitgeist last year with his jaw-dropping video clip for This is America, which Murai also directed. Share your movies and TV obsessions | @wenleima<doc-sep>The film, directed by Hiro Murai and written by Stephen Glover, is described as "a tropical thriller" about "a musician with designs on pulling off a scheme to rob his way into the good life, which quickly gets him in over his head." The film also features re-worked versions of Childish Gambino tracks like "This Is America". “I’m really humbled having the opportunity to present something this timely and timeless. Between Rihanna and the people of Cuba, this is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on,” Glover said about the film. Watch Guava Island now. ADVERTISEMENT Thumbnail image via Tim P. Whitby & Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.<doc-sep>If you weren’t able to make it Coachella on Thursday, we have some good news. Donald Glover and Rihanna’s mysterious movie, Guava Island, is now available to stream on Amazon after premiering at the desert festival on the eve of Glover’s headlining set. Indeed, it’s available to stream free here until 6 p.m., after which it will be only available to Prime subscribers. The 54-minute film, which Vanity Fair calls a “tropical thriller,” tells the story of Glover’s Kofi, a singer that falls for a woman named Deni (Rihanna). Together, they embark on a whirlwind romance as Kofi’s star begins to rise, and external forces threaten their relationship. We’re happy to report that Glover does perform some music in the film, including Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and “Feels Like Summer.” Unfortunately, Rihanna is in full actor mode and reportedly doesn’t sing in the film. Guava Island was written by Glover’s brother Stephen, and directed by Glover’s frequent collaborator Hiro Murai, who also helmed the award-winning video for “This Is America.” The film also reportedly features brand new visuals for Glover’s hit song. Black Panther’s Letitia Wright appears as well. Details from Thursday’s premiere are scarce, since attendees were forced to hand over their phones before taking their seats in a “jungle-themed” room, per Pitchfork. That kind of airtight security is fitting for a project that has been shrouded in mystery ever since the first trailer debuted late last year. But now that Guava Island has finally seen the light of day, we’re getting more information about its origin story. According to Vanity Fair, Glover pitched the project to Amazon without so much as a script. But that was enough to convince Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, who said that she would have committed to Glover “sight unseen.” “I knew whatever he wanted to amplify would have relevance and be entertaining,” Salke said. “He has that ability to create cultural moments and spread a message that’s interesting.” See that message for yourself, as Guava Island is currently streaming for free on Amazon, and will also stream on Coachella’s YouTube live stream on Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern. Related: What Is Guava Island, Rihanna and Donald Glover’s Mystery Film, Even About?<doc-sep>
For fans that didn’t get enough Donald Glover during his Friday headlining performance at Coachella, Amazon Prime Video is dropping his latest film, “Guava Island,” just after his set. Amazon Studios announced Wednesday that New Regency’s “tropical thriller” “Guava Island,” starring Glover, Rihanna, Nonso Anozie, and “Black Panther” star Letitia Wright will drop Saturday, April 13 at 12:01 a.m. PT and will be available to stream for free without an Amazon Prime subscription at http://www.amazon.com/guavaisland until 6 p.m. Saturday. “On Guava Island, a local musician is determined to throw a festival for everyone to enjoy,” reads the film’s description. “I’m really humbled having the opportunity to present something this timely and timeless,” said Glover. “Between Rihanna and the people of Cuba, this is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.” Glover’s “Atlanta” collaborator Hiro Murai directed the film, which was written by Glover’s brother Stephen. The film was produced by Fam Udeorji, Carmen Cuba, Glover and New Regency, who also financed the project, with executive producers Stephen Glover, Murai, and Ibra Ake. “Guava Island” will premiere at the Coachella Music Festival on Thursday, the day before Childish Gambino headlines the festival, in a specially constructed theater built for the event and will continue to screen on the Coachella grounds until the end of the festival. In addition to streaming on Amazon Prime, the movie will also stream on Twitch.tv/primevideo at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday for free as well. Catch the poster for the film and a still below. https://twitter.com/donaldglover/status/1116132740238172161 https://twitter.com/donaldglover/status/1116115606896619520