Daughters of the Dust (1991)

Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-ways were maintained well into the 20th Century and was one of the last ... See full summary »

Director:

Julie Dash

Writer:

Julie Dash

Stars:

Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbarao

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cora Lee Day	...	Nana Peazant
Alva Rogers	...	Eula Peazant
Barbarao	...	Yellow Mary
Trula Hoosier	...	Trula
Umar Abdurrahamn	...	Bilal Muhammad
Adisa Anderson	...	Eli Peazant
Kaycee Moore	...	Haagar Peazant
Bahni Turpin	...	Iona Peazant
Cheryl Lynn Bruce	...	Viola Peazant
Tommy Redmond Hicks	...	Mr. Snead
Tony King	...	Newlywed Man (as Malik Farrakhan)
Cornell Royal	...	Daddy Mack Peazant
Vertamae Grosvenor	...	Hair Braider
Sherry Jackson	...	Older Cousin
Ervin Green	...	Baptist Minister (as Reverend Ervin Green)

Storyline

Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-ways were maintained well into the 20th Century and was one of the last bastions of these mores in America. Set in 1902.

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Plot Keywords:

triple f rated | title directed by female | feminist film | island | gullah culture | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 December 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Córki pylu

Filming Locations:

St. Helena Island, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,624, 5 January 1992, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,642,436

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Geechee Girls, WMG Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Selected to the Library of Congress National Registry of Film in 2004.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nana Peazant: I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the whore and the holy one. I am the wife and the virgin. I am the barren one and many are my daughters. I am the silence that you can not understand. I am the utterance of my name.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: My Cousin Vinny/Article 99/American Me/The Lawnmower Man/Shakes the Clown/Daughters of the Dust (1992)

User Reviews

Brief history of Julie Dash and film setting

Julie Dash grew up in Long Island, New York and graduated from CCNY right after high school with a degree in film production. Dash moved to L.A. only to be rejected by UCLA's film department, but later accepted as a student of the American Film Institute through a fellowship. Grants then started rolling in and Dash was able to begin writing and shooting films which revolved around true historical portrayals and images of African woman such as depicted in Daughters of the Dust. This film was written, directed and then released by Julie Dash in 1991. The historical context of this film stretches from the time of the slave trade up to the summer of 1902, when the Peazant family left an island off the coast of South Carolina and headed north for the mainland. I would consider this film to be within the genre of modern melodrama because of the overly emotional acting styles, complex plot, long monologues and excellent musical score which seems to parallel the moods in each scene perfectly. I also found the mis en scene, as far as the setting, costume, figure movement and expression and cinematography to be very well done. This is an intense film definitely worth watching.