DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST

Before there was Beyoncé’s LEMONADE, there was Julie Dash’s DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, the seminal 1991 poetic drama that was a milestone in the history of American independent film (and credited as the inspiration for Beyoncé’s “visual album”). Dash was a member of the “LA Rebellion,” a group of African American filmmakers at UCLA in the 1970s who would reframe black auteur filmmaking in America. For DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, Dash found her inspiration in her own South Carolina Gullah ancestry, and created a story about Gullah family at the turn of the 20th century facing a decision to leave their southern home for better opportunities in the north. The film was critically celebrated as a cinematic achievement; it’s stunning visuals and mesmerizing soundscape painted a rich and complex picture of an under represented American culture. The film was added to the Library of Congress in 2004.