New Americas Cinema Series: Daughters of the Dust – A Q&A with filmmaker Julie Dash will follow the screening

At the dawn of the 20th century, a multi-generational family in the Gullah community on the Sea Islands off of South Carolina—former West African slaves who adopted many of their ancestors’ Yoruba traditions—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 woman 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, the film still resonates today, most recently as a major influence on Beyonce’s video album Lemonade and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Proper color grading of the new 2K restoration was overseen by cinematographer Arthur Jafa, ensuring audiences will finally see the film exactly as Dash intended. Restored from the original internegative at Modern Videofilm with assistance from the UCLA Film & Television Archive. [112 min; drama, romance; French and English]