Part of Beloved: A Spotlight Series on Black Female Directors
Sat, Feb 18 at 12:00pm: Introduction from Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor, Vice Provost for Arts and Libraries at Vanderbilt, and director of Callie House Research Center for the Study of Global Black Cultures and Politics. Following the screening, poet and educator Ciona Rouse will lead an ekphrastic poetry workshop in the upstairs Jackson Education and Engagement Space. Workshop space is limited and will be first come, first served | BUY TICKETS
At the dawn of the 20th century, a multi-generational family in the Gullah community on the Sea Islands off South Carolina — former West African slaves who adopted many of their ancestors’ Yoruba tradition — struggle to maintain their cultural heritage and folklore while contemplating a migration to the mainland, even further from their roots. The first wide release by a Black female filmmaker, DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST was met with wild critical acclaim and rapturous audience response when it initially opened in 1991. Casting a long legacy, it still resonates today, most recently as a major influence on Beyonce’s video album “Lemonade.” Restored (in conjunction with UCLA) for the first time with proper color grading overseen by cinematographer AJ Jafa, audiences will finally see the film exactly as director Julie Dash intended.
Restored in 2016 by the UCLA Film and Television Archive with proper color grading overseen by cinematographer AJ Jafa.
Recently voted #60 in the BFI Sight and Sound poll of the Greatest Films of All Time.
“This nonlinear film becomes visual poetry, a wedding of imagery and rhythm that connects oral tradition with the music video. It is an astonishing, vivid portrait not only of a time and place, but of an era's spirit.” —Rita Kempley, Washington Post (Feb 28, 1992) “There's nothing derivative about Dash's work; every image, every moment is a full creation.” —Richard Brody, New Yorker "Has a gorgeous, overwhelming sense of place. It is almost startlingly beautiful, blessed with deep fiery hues and a poetic sensibility. It is a film made stronger by its belief in itself, and it challenges its audience to believe also.... But because DAUGHTERS is so gloriously textured, its rewards are many.” —Patricia Highsmith, Boston Globe (Mar 20, 1992)
