Please note: This was screened in Nov 2019
A beautifully restored print of this 1991 majestic first feature from the remarkable African American director Julie Dash.
A poignant portrayal of three generations of Gullah women (descendants of Western African slaves) at the turn of the 20th century, Daughters of the Dust tells the story of a family’s struggle with the decision to migrate from their sea island home off the coast South Carolina to the mainland, leaving behind their well-preserved culture inherited from their ancestors.
Dash’s perspective is determinedly feminist as she fuses together image, sound, authentic dialect and traditions of African oral storytelling to portray the power, beauty and resilience of black women.
Twenty eight years after its original release, it remains a hugely important film emphasising the importance and contradictions of heritage, culture, religion, identity and a new-ground in the representation of black women on screen.