Black History Month Feature: Julie Dash
Julie Dash is the director of the film, “Daughters of the Dust,” which is the first film directed by an African American woman that obtained theatrical release in the US. The film is set in 1902 and follows a non-linear plot that portrays the life and journey of the Peazant family who are descendants of slaves and part of the Gullah tribe. This film offers commentary on history, both familial and societal, ancestry, connection to African life, womanhood and more.
This film has been assumed to be a source of inspiration for Beyoncés visual album, Lemonade. Both pieces of art incorporate a strong emphasis on the pain and power of Black woman.
“Whenever I do a film, it has to take us one step further to making the world safe for everyone.” —Julie Dash
Lemonade (2016) brought “Daughters of the Dust” back into the light of mainstream media. The rebirth of this film attracted a younger audience. For Julie Dash, film is about creativity and trying something new. She went against the grain of what others claimed to be successful film making and wants those who encounter her work to feel that they can defy the odds and break the “rules” too.
As a devout reader and writer, Julie Dash is influenced by Toni Cade Bambara, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and Naylor. Dash was born in Manhattan, New York and grew up in Queensbridge, New York. Her father, Charles Edward Dash, is how her and her sister are connected to the Low Country South Carolina Gullah Geechee heritage. Her mother was active member of the Black Women’s Club Movement, which focused on social and political reform for Black women.
She earned her film degree from City College of New York. She earned her M.F.A. degree in film and television at the University of California Los Angeles where she found a place for artistic freedom within the unity and shared experience of other people of color. Along with her classmates, she wanted to create a world of cinema that reflected her own. Prior to her time at UCLA she had a two year Conservatory Fellow (Producing/Writing) at the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies.
Dash has written and directed for BET, Starz Encore, Showtime, MTV and HBO, and other projects. At the 25th annual Newark Black Film Festival, in 1999, Daughters of the Dust was recognized as being one of the most important cinematic achievements in black cinema in the 20th century. In 2004, The Library of Congress added Daughters of the Dust on the National Film Registry where it joined 400 other American-made films that are being preserved and protected as National Treasures.
Dash is also an author, her novel, “Daughters of the Dust,” was published by in 1997 by Dutton books. This novel is the continuation of the Peazant family’s story. Julie Dash made history while following her passion, which has impacted people and culture (like Beyoncé!!) in incredible ways.