If you were inspired by Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade, then we’ve got a secret for you — Beyoncé was also inspired.
The hour-long visual album was influenced by the film, Daughters of the Dust.
Directed by Julie Dash, the film broke ground in 1991 with its beautifully poetic screenwriting, breathtaking scenery and ode to the Gullah people. According to Vanity Fair, it was the first movie directed by a black woman to get a wide theatrical release.
Twenty-five years later, the film reemerges to have a second bout in theaters nationwide (thanks in part to Beyoncé).
Dash, also a fan of Beyoncé, remembers how she felt when she watched Lemonade for the first time.
“It just took me places that I had not been seeing in a long, long time,” she told Vanity Fair.
“It just re-confirmed a lot of things that I know to be true about visual style and visual metaphors. And the use of visual metaphors in creating, redefining, and re-framing a Creole culture within this new world.”
Dash did not work with Beyoncé on the Lemonade project, but finds herself inspired by Beyoncé’s modern day spin on the classic film.
“I was just very pleased. Lemonade is just—it breaks new ground. It’s a masterpiece,” Dash said.
The restored film will screen first at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s expected to have a nationwide release in November.
Watch the trailer for the film below.
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