USA, historical drama, 28min, 1995. Dir: Zeinabu Irene Davis. Japan Premiere!
In this poignant story set in the 1850s, a young slave girl befriends a magical woman in the woods called Mother of the River. Through their friendship the young girl learns about independence, honor, humility and respect for others. Mother of the River is a rare portrayal of slavery from a young woman’s perspective (from Women Make Movies site).
A super rare historical drama short by an African American female director about slavery. Zeinabu Davis is a member of LA Rebellion (Julie Dash, Charles Burnett, Haile Gerima, etc), a black cinema movement in the US from the late 60s to early 90s, that paved the way for the success of many black directors today.
Bio:
Zeinabu Irene Davis is a director and producer who has received numerous awards for her work with film and video. Born in 1961 in Philadelphia, she received a M.A. in African Studies in 1985 at UCLA, where she also earned her M.F.A. in Film and Television production in 1989. She has received acclaim for her representation of the African American female perspective through a variety of works, which include documentaries, short narratives and experimental films.
Davis directed the film Cycles (1989), an experimental short which earned her an awards from the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and the National Black Programming Consortium. Her following works, A Period Piece (1991), A Powerful Thang (1991), Mother of a River (1995) and Compensation (1999) continued to garner her awards from numerous organizations and festivals, including the Gordan Parks Award for Best Director from the Independent Feature Project. Her latest project, Spirits of Rebellion (2011), is a documentary work-in-progress which gathers fellow L.A. Rebellion filmmakers and explores topics in African American film.
Davis has been awarded grants and fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Film Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts for her film work. After holding teaching positions at Antioch College and Northwestern University, Davis moved to teach at UC San Diego, where she currently serves as Professor of Communications.
Research
A veteran of independent film and video, Davis has produced numerous award winning works. Her vision is passionately focused on the depiction of African American women – their hopes, dreams, past and future. Her latest work, a dramatic feature film entitled Compensation uses silent cinema techniques to portray two inter-related love stories that offer a view of Black Deaf culture. Her interests include altering and diversifying the terrain of mass media, film history, world cinema and folklore. She frequently writes and lectures on African and African American cinema.
Publications
Davis, Zeinabu i., “FESPACO 97: Celebrating African & Diasporic Film,” The Newsletter of the Black Film Center/Archive, vol. 12, no. 1, Summer 1997.
Davis, Zeinabu i., Wendell Franklin, interviewed by Zeinabu Davis A Directors Guild of America Publication, 1995.
Films
“Compensation,” black and white, 16mm film, 92 minute drama, 1999.
“Mother of the River,” black and white, 16mm film. 30 minute children’s drama. 1995.
“A Powerful Thang,” color, 16mm film, 57 minute narrative. 1991.
“A Period Piece,” color, 3/4″ video, 4 minutes, rap video. 1991.
“Trumpetistically, Clora Bryant,” color, mixed formats(film & video), 5 minutes, experimental video & documentary, 1989.
“Cycles,” black and white, 16mm film, 17 minutes, drama/animation film. 1989.
Exibitions and Retrospectives
Davis, Zeinabu i., Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, “Time Arts Chicago: in Chicago: Independent Films,” January 1997. Mother of the River. (Retrospective of Chicago artists).
Davis, Zeinabu i., Princeton University, “Both Sides of the Camera: Women and Film,” April 1996. Cycles, A Powerful Thang.
Davis, Zeinabu i., Indianapolis Museum of Art, “Focus on Film: In Conversation: Zeinabu irene Davis and Phyllis Klotman,” February 1996. Cycles, Mother of the River.