Ryan Family Film Series: Daughters of the Dust

The first film directed by an African American woman to receive a theatrical release in the United States, Daughters of the Dust (1991), portrays the lives of the Peazant family, whose ancestors were brought to the island as slaves. The Peazants grapple with their decision to leave the island to seek out the trappings of modernity on the mainland. The film echoes several elements of Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel Beloved (recently added to the Core Conversations curriculum) by employing a non-linear narrative that depicts African American women grappling with the historical and personal traumas of slavery, manifested as ancestral spirits and ghosts.

Followed by conversation and Q&A with Professors Ben Child (English), Ariel Martino (English), and Noah Shenker (Film and Media Studies)

Cosponsored with Core Conversations