Emerging from the explosion of Black cinematic creativity known as the LA Rebellion, Zeinabu irene Davis combines narrative storytelling and a range of poetic experimental techniques to give voice to African American women’s experiences of love, joy, struggle, and self-realization. Her sublime feature COMPENSATION—one of the most unjustly neglected works of 1990s American independent cinema—incorporates sign language and silent-film techniques as it traces two love stories involving Black deaf characters across generations. It is presented alongside innovative works like CYCLES and A POWERFUL THANG, in which Davis employs animation and Afro-Haitian dance to lyrically portray intimate moments in the lives of Black women.
This interview with director Zeinabu irene Davis was recorded in 2020.
Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis • 1991 • United States
Starring Barbarao, John Earl Jelks, Asma Feyijinmi
This innovative drama, set in Ohio, traces a Black couple’s search for intimacy and friendship. The spirited, African-identified Yasmine (Asma Feyijinmi) is a writer and single mother who ha...
Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis • 1999 • United States
Starring John Earl Jelks, Michelle A. Banks, Nirvana Cobb
The first feature by LA Rebellion trailblazer Zeinabu irene Davis presents two unique Black American love stories between a deaf woman and a hearing man. Inspired by a poem written by...
Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis • 1986 • United States
Starring Sandra Sealy, John Earl Jelks
This charming tale focuses on Willa Ledbetter, a Black middle-aged schoolteacher in Watts, Los Angeles, and her longing to visit her parents’ homeland of Cuba. In the face of unexpected political and fa...
Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis • 1989 • United States
Starring Stephanie Ingram
A woman performs a purification ritual as she anxiously awaits her period and attempts to determine if she is pregnant. Drawing on Caribbean folklore, this exuberant experimental drama uses animation and live action...
Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis • 1995 • United States
Starring Joy Vandervort-Cobb, Monique Coleman, Michael L. Nesbitt
In this poignant story set in the 1850s, a young enslaved girl befriends a magical woman named Mother of the River. Through their friendship, the young girl learns about indep...
