| Daughters of the Dust | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Julie Dash |
| Written by | Julie Dash |
| Produced by | Lindsay Law Julie Dash Arthur Jafa Steven Jones |
| Starring | Cora Lee Day Barbara O. Jones Alva Rogers Trula Hoosier Umar Abdurrahamn Adisa Anderson Kaycee Moore |
| Cinematography | Arthur Jafa |
| Edited by | Amy Carey Joseph Burton |
| Music by | John Barnes |
| Distributed by | Kino International |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Gullah, English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film written, directed and produced by Julie Dash and is the first feature film directed by an African-American woman to be theatrically released in the United States.[2] Set in 1902, it tells the story of three generations of Gullah (also known as Geechee) women in the Peazant family on Saint Helena Island as they prepare to migrate off the island, out of the Southern United States, and into the North.
The film received critical praise for its lush visuals, Gullah language dialogue and non-linear storytelling. The cast features Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara-O, Trula Hoosier, Vertamae Grosvenor, and Kaycee Moore and was filmed on St. Helena Island in South Carolina. Daughters of the Dust was selected for the Sundance 1991 dramatic competition. Director of photography Arthur Jafa won the top cinematography prize.[3] The film is also known for being the first by an African-American woman to gain a general theatrical release.[4]
Dash has written two books about Daughters of the Dust, one about making the film, co-authored with Toni Cade Bambara and bell hooks, and one novel, a sequel set 20 years after the film's narrative. In 2004, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[5][6] For its 25th anniversary, Daughters of the Dust was restored and re-released in 2016 by the Cohen Media Group.[7]
- ^ "Daughters of the Dust". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
- ^ Michel, Martin (November 20, 2016), "'Daughters Of The Dust' – Re-Released Following Attention From Beyonce", NPR – All Things Considered. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (November 8, 2016), "'Daughters of the Dust': Why the Movie That Inspired 'Lemonade' Is Back", Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ "Daughters of the Dust (1991) | UCLA Film & Television Archive". www.cinema.ucla.edu. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ Brody, Richard (November 18, 2016), "The Return of Julie Dash's Historic 'Daughters of the Dust'", The New Yorker. Retrieved December 29, 2016.