A few years ago, I had the opportunity to talk with Julie Dash when she was in Stockholm for the CinemAfrica film festival. I’d seen the film in New York when it first came out, and I was eager to see how the film had aged and how my own aging had affected my love for the film. Nothing had changed, and I still adored the visuals of the film as well as the atypical storytelling. We ended up chatting so much and way beyond my allotted interview time that I had to break up the article into three parts. See my interview with Julie Dash here.
Imagine my joy when the press release below popped up in my inbox! I’ve always lamented the difficulty of seeing independent films again outside of festivals. I am quite happy with the new trend that sees smaller films picked up for distribution via streaming services.
Julie Dashs “Daughters of the dust” blev när den kom 1991 den första filmen gjord av en afroamerikansk kvinna, som fått biodistribution över hela USA. Det är fortfarande hennes enda långfilm men detta visionära, bildsköna drama har klassikerstatus i filmhistorien. När Beyoncés visuella album Lemonade kom 2016 i anslutning till hennes album med samma namn, var det många som såg influencerna från Julie Dash film.
Daughters of the Dust utspelar sig i början av 1900-talet och handlar om familjen Peazant som bor på en kreolö utanför Georgias kust. Deras anfäder kom som slavar från Västafrika flera århundraden tidigare, men Peazants gör sitt bästa för att förvalta sitt Gullah kulturarv i en värld i förändring. Det sägs att framtiden ligger på fastlandet – ännu ett steg bort från deras rötter. Den generationsöverskridande familjen ställs inför dilemmat att kompromissa med antingen sin identitet, eller sina möjligheter till ett bättre liv.
Filmen ges ut i NonStops satsning på klassiska filmer regisserade av kvinnor.
Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust,” when it came out in 1991, was the first film made by an African-American woman, which received nationwide distribution throughout the United States. It is still her only feature film, but this visionary, picturesque drama has classic status in film history. When Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade came out in 2016, many people saw the influences from Julie Dash’s film.
Daughters of the Dust takes place in the early 20th century and follows the Peazant family who lives on a sea island off the coast of Georgia. Their ancestors came as slaves from West Africa several centuries earlier, but the Peazants do their best to manage their Gullah cultural heritage in a changing world. It is said that the future lies on the mainland – another step away from their roots. The inter-generational family faces the dilemma of compromising either their identity or their opportunities for a better life.
The film is released in NonStop’s investment in classic movies directed by women.
Filmen släpps den på VOD (Video on Demand) via iTunes, SF Anytime, Viaplay, Blockbuster och Draken Film
The film is available by VOD (Video on Demand) through iTunes, SF Anytime, Viaplay, Blockbuster and Draken Film
