Julie Dash to Keynote Aspen Art Museum's AIR Festival
This summer, filmmaker Julie Dash, who made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to have a feature film, 'Daughters of the Dust,' widely released in the US, will deliver the keynote address at the Aspen Art Museum's AIR festival. During a discussion with chief curator Daniel Merritt, she reflected on her early cinematic influences at the Studio Museum in Harlem and her involvement in the L.A. Rebellion at UCLA. Dash shared experiences from filming 'Daughters of the Dust' on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, including challenges like a tsunami warning and Hurricane Hugo. She also highlighted her collaboration with production designer Kerry James Marshall and her recent project 'Homegoing' with cinematographer Nasreen Alkhateeb. Dash's talk is set for July 30 in Aspen, where she expressed curiosity about AI storytelling, referencing an Iranian filmmaker who created a feature for $2,000 now showcased at Tribeca.
Key facts
- Julie Dash became the first Black woman to have a feature film receive wide theatrical release in the US in 1992.
- Her film 'Daughters of the Dust' follows three generations of Gullah women on the Sea Islands.
- Beyoncé drew from 'Daughters of the Dust' for her 2016 visual album 'Lemonade'.
- Dash grew up in the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City and attended a film workshop at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
- She was part of the L.A. Rebellion group of Black filmmakers at UCLA in the 1970s.
- Dash will be the keynote speaker at the Aspen Art Museum's AIR festival on July 30.
- Kerry James Marshall worked as production designer on 'Daughters of the Dust'.
- Dash recently completed a Wanda Sykes comedy special for Netflix with an all-women-of-color camera crew.
- She collaborated with Davone Tines and cinematographer Nasreen Alkhateeb on 'Homegoing' at MOCA.
- Dash expressed interest in AI storytelling, citing an Iranian filmmaker at Tribeca.
Entities
Artists
- Julie Dash
- Kerry James Marshall
- Davone Tines
- Nasreen Alkhateeb
- Wanda Sykes
- Beyoncé
- Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
- Minnie Evans
- Hamza Walker
Institutions
- Aspen Art Museum
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- UCLA
- AFI
- MOCA
- Netflix
- Tribeca
- Mother Emanuel AME Church
- Urban Bush Women
Locations
- Aspen
- United States
- Sea Islands
- South Carolina
- Long Island City
- Queensbridge Houses
- Harlem
- Los Angeles
- Charleston
- Johns Island
- Uganda
- Atlanta