Daughters of the dust [Widescreen]

At the turn of the century the Peazant family, a multigenerational community threatened with break-up, gathers for a reunion on an island off the coast of South Carolina, historically a place of entry for the European slave ships and a haven for self-emancipated Africans and indigenous peoples. Structured around the twin narratives of Nana, born into slavery, and that of the Unborn Child, this is a rites-of-passage story invoking Islam, Christianity and West African spiritual customs. It is not narrative-driven in the Western mode but is balletic, operatic, non-linear and based on the African oral tradition of the Griot (story-teller), drawing on the Gullah dialect. Dash was also inspired by the literature of African-American women writers. Cast includes Adisa Anderson, Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara-0 and Trula Hoosier.