Onion
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Directed by Johan Grimonprez · BE, 2026 · 150 min · original language with English subtitles
Jazz, decolonization and the CIA collide in the archival thriller of the decade.
In 1960, as sixteen newly independent African states join the United Nations, the US State Department sends Louis Armstrong to the Congo — a musical smokescreen for the operation that will topple Patrice Lumumba. Grimonprez cuts diplomacy, propaganda and bebop into a symphony of complicity.
An Oscar-nominated montage that swings as hard as it hits.
Director's note & bio +
History doesn't repeat itself, but it certainly has a rhythm section.
Credits
DirectionJohan GrimonprezScreenplayJohan GrimonprezEditingRik ChaubetSoundRanko PaukovićProductionOnomatopee Films, Warboys Films
Screenings
Ticketing opens 1 August — sold-out screenings are marked here.
