Directed by Ayoka Chenzira • 1994 • United States
Starring Kim Weston-Moran, Victoria Gabrielle Platt, Mizan Nunes
A rediscovered treasure of independent cinema, this incisive comedic drama follows Rainbow Gold (Victoria Gabrielle Platt), a teenager coming of age in Brooklyn, as she looks to two vastly different models of womanhood: her straitlaced mother, Alma (Kim Weston-Moran), who runs a hair salon in the parlor of their home and disapproves of her daughter’s newfound interest in boys; and her free-spirited, larger-than-life aunt Ruby (Mizan Kirby), who has just returned from Paris after a ten-year absence and whose presence shakes up the household. Bursting with the bold Day-Glo colors of nineties fashion, this dazzling feature from feminist filmmaker and animator Ayoka Chenzira grapples with questions of Black women’s sexuality, agency, and self-image from a multigenerational perspective.
Up Next in Directed by Ayoka Chenzira
-
Syvilla: They Dance to Her Drum
Directed by Ayoka Chenzira • 1979 • United States
Starring Syvilla Fort, Ayoka ChenziraThis tribute to innovative dancer-choreographer Syvilla Fort sheds light on a pioneering Black woman artist who influenced a generation of dancers.
-
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy Headed P...
Directed by Ayoka Chenzira • 1984 • United States
Starring Carol Jean LewisThis brash, inventive cartoon musical—a landmark of independent animation—satirizes Eurocentric beauty standards while celebrating the natural beauty of Black hair.
-
The Lure and the Lore
Directed by Ayoka Chenzira • 1988 • United States
Starring Thomas PinnockDancer Thomas Pinnock draws inspiration from the folklore of his native Jamaica and from his experiences as an immigrant in New York.
