Daughters of the Dust
Encyclopedia
Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film
written, directed and produced by Julie Dash
. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah
women at the turn of the 20th century and focuses on the family's migration from the Sea Islands
to the American
mainland.
Featuring an unusual narrative device
, the film is told by an unborn child. The movie gained critical praise, for both its rich language and use of song, and for its use of imagery.
The film features Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara-O, Turla Hoosier, Vertamae Grosvenor
, and Kaycee Moore. It was filmed on St. Helena Island
in South Carolina
.
In 2004, Daughters of the Dust was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Daughters of the Dust is also a novel
written by Julie Dash
, published by Plume Books, a division of Penguin USA, in February 1999.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
written, directed and produced by Julie Dash
Julie Dash
Julie Dash is a United States filmmaker. She directed Daughters of the Dust, which in 1991 became the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman...
. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
women at the turn of the 20th century and focuses on the family's migration from the Sea Islands
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. They number over 100, and are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of the U.S...
to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mainland.
Featuring an unusual narrative device
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, the film is told by an unborn child. The movie gained critical praise, for both its rich language and use of song, and for its use of imagery.
The film features Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara-O, Turla Hoosier, Vertamae Grosvenor
Vertamae Grosvenor
Vertamae Smart Grosvenor is a Culinary Anthopologist / Griot food writer and broadcaster, raised in the South Carolina lowcountry.-Broadcasting:...
, and Kaycee Moore. It was filmed on St. Helena Island
Saint Helena Island, South Carolina
St. Helena Island is one of the Sea Islands in Beaufort County, South Carolina that are historic sites of early European colonization of North America. St. Helena is also the center of African-American Gullah culture and language. It is sometimes claimed to be the oldest settlement in the United...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
In 2004, Daughters of the Dust was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Daughters of the Dust is also a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Julie Dash
Julie Dash
Julie Dash is a United States filmmaker. She directed Daughters of the Dust, which in 1991 became the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman...
, published by Plume Books, a division of Penguin USA, in February 1999.