Past Film/Video | Classics

Daughters of the Dust

(Julie Dash, 1991)

Preceded by Ocean of Interiors (Alexis McCrimmon, 2020)

Three women sit under a wicker umbrella, two have their eyes closed while one looks upward

“A uniquely spiritual film... Almost startlingly beautiful, blessed with deep fiery hues and poetic sensibility.”—Boston Globe

Set in the early 1900s, Daughters of the Dust offers a vivid portrait of Gullah Geechee culture—communities descended from Africans who were enslaved on plantations along the coast and Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia.

Rooted in immersive and lush coastal landscapes, Arthur Jafa’s stunning color cinematography captures the last gathering of the Peazant family as the younger generation prepares to leave the island and their matriarch Nana Peazant (Cora Lee Day) for the promise of the mainland. With Barbara O, Alva Rogers, and Trula Hoosier. The film’s production design is by past Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient Kerry James Marshall. (113 mins., 2K DCP)

With beautiful interludes of hand-painted film, Columbus filmmaker (and Wex Film/Video Studio editor) Alexis McCrimmon’s entrancingly poetic Ocean of Interiors finds a woman whose dreams transport her toward seaside tides and long-forgotten memories. (5 mins., 16mm transferred to HD)

View the complete The Big Picture lineup.

Three women sit under a wicker umbrella, two have their eyes closed while one looks upward

Daughters of the Dust | Image courtesy of Cohen Film Collection

A woman in a tan dress leans against a tree, her eyes are closed

Daughters of the Dust | Image courtesy of Cohen Film Collection

An image of a woman in white, seated in profile against the bottom of a tree

Daughters of the Dust | Image courtesy of Cohen Film Collection

A group of people dressed in white gathered around a person seated in the center

Daughters of the Dust | Image courtesy of Cohen Film Collection

The contents of a leather bag lay strewn across a surface. Objects include keys, a magazine, notebooks, an envelope, and a handkerchief that says "Watkins Glen, NY".

Ocean of Interiors | Image courtesy of the artist

A person in a white dress lays down with their arm over their stomach.

Ocean of Interiors | Image courtesy of the artist

Abstract image of various cracked and rusted textures.

Ocean of Interiors | Image courtesy of the artist

Daughters of the Dust was restored from the original internegative at Modern Videofilm by Cohen Film Collection in conjunction with The UCLA Film & Television Archive. The final color grade was approved by cinematographer Arthur Jafa.

This screening is cosponsored by the Columbus Black International Film Festival. This year’s fest begins August 27 with a screening of Stella Meghie’s The Weekend (2018) and Janicza Bravo’s Zola (2020) at the Wex. Please visit the CBIFF web site for more information.

FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Cardinal Health
Kaufman Development

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
The Wexner Family
Greater Columbus Arts Council
Mary and C. Robert Kidder
L Brands Foundation
American Electric Power Foundation
The Columbus Foundation
Ohio Arts Council
Bill and Sheila Lambert
Adam Flatto
Huntington
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Nationwide Foundation
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease
Arlene and Michael Weiss

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Carol and David Aronowitz
Michael and Paige Crane
Pete Scantland
Axium Packaging
Fenwick & West LLP
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
KDC/ONE
M/I Homes
Ohio State Energy Partners
Regina Miracle International Ltd.
Washington Prime Group
Alene Candles
Lisa Barton
Fuel Transport
Russell and Joyce Gertmenian
Liza Kessler and Greg Henchel
Nancy Kramer
Matrix Psychological Services
Paramount Group, Inc.
Bruce and Joy Soll
Clark and Sandra Swanson
Business Furniture Installations
CASTO
E.C. Provini Co, Inc.
Garlock Printing & Converting
M-Engineering
New England Development
Our Country Home
Performance Team
Premier Candle Corporation
ProAmpac
Steiner + Associates
Textile Printing
Andrew and Amanda Wise

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Past Film/Video

Daughters of the Dust