At the dawn of the twentieth century, a multi-generational Gullah family on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina — descendants of enslaved West Africans who preserved Yoruba traditions and folklore — face the decision of whether to remain rooted in their ancestral island home or migrate to the mainland.
Dash’s film is both a visually stunning family story and a poetic reflection on diaspora, migration, and cultural survival, exploring themes of ancestry, identity, and spiritual continuity. Recognised as a landmark of American independent cinema, it was the first feature by an African-American woman to receive general theatrical release in the United States, and it has since inspired countless artists, including Beyoncé in Lemonade (2016).
More Leicester Listings MORE
Reel Histories 2026: Black Classics
Reel Histories 2026: Black Classics is a bold film programme for Black History Month 2026, amplifying the cinematic…
Black History Month Cookery Course
Black History Month Cookery Course celebrates the cultures and culinary traditions of the African diaspora through a four-week…
Lemn Sissay: Let The Light Pour In – Live
Spend an evening with Lemn Sissay, one of Britain’s most influential literary voices, as he brings his acclaimed…
Black History Month: Plants and Empire
Discover how plants became central to colonial power in a specialist tour drawing on objects from Glasgow Museums’…
An Evening with Gerard Alfonzo Daley
Join writer Gerard Alfonzo Daley for a reading from The Book of Erin and an audience question-and-answer session…
Overcome Book Launch
Celebrate the launch of Overcome, a collaborative publication bringing together the personal stories of African Caribbean women through…