Daughters of the Dust

Julie Dash’s groundbreaking Daughters of the Dust remains urgent and poetic and continues to resonate, most recently inspiring Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

USA 1991
Directed byJulie Dash
With Barbara-O, Alva Rogers, Cora Lee Day
112 min
Digital
12A

In 1902 South Carolina, at a pivotal moment in American history, three generations of women in the Pezant family grapple with the decision to migrate north, leaving behind their well-preserved Gullah culture inherited from their West African slave ancestors. An avowed influence on Beyoncé’s album Lemonade, Daughters of the Dust broke new ground in its representation of black women on screen and continues to inspire filmmakers and audiences alike. Lovingly restored for its 25th anniversary, Julie Dash’s luminous masterpiece is a bold, stylish and evocative odyssey, which remains as vibrant and necessary as ever.