Compensation Saturday, July 26, 2025 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

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Post-film discussion with filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis and producer Nicoletta Vangelisti moderated by Autumn Johnson, film programmer and cultural worker.

A milestone of independent cinema, Zeinabu irene Davis’s first feature (presented in a 4K rejuvenation) presents parallel African American love stories between a deaf woman and a hearing man set decades apart. Inspired by a poem by legendary African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, this moving narrative depicts their struggle to overcome racism, disability, and discrimination. Davis innovatively incorporates silent-film techniques to make the piece accessible to hearing and deaf viewers alike, embracing the vast world possibilities of language and communication.

Tickets

• $9 general admission; $7 MFAH members, students with ID, seniors (65+)

Plan Your Visit

• This screening takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater in the Law Building.
• Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map

About the Filmmaker
Zeinabu irene Davis graduated from the MFA program in film and video at UCLA and has since produced numerous award-winning projects. Focusing on the depiction of African American women, her interests include altering and diversifying the terrains of mass media, film history, world cinema, and folklore. Among her films are Cycles (1989), A Powerful Thang (1991), Mother of the River (1995), and Spirits of Rebellion (2011). She currently serves as a professor of communications at the University of California San Diego.