Revival: Women and the Word (The)

Among a congregation of queer women of color artists, the Holy Trinity—“the poet, the people, and the poem”—is the heart of a tour centering on the power, inspiration, and real-talk of a group of five poets who hit the road to perform in seven states in nine days. Featuring Jade Foster, Be Steadwell, Jonquille Rice, T’ai Freedom Ford, and Eli Turner, the journey to grow community ultimately challenges and impacts their own relationships to the people and art in their lives. Touching on the history of Black women creating space for art and resistance in 1970s Harlem, to gender presentation and fashion, to confronting racism and police violence, filmmaker Sekiya Dorsett captures a story of queer women of color rarely told.

Through stunning performances and conversations that surface in a cramped tour minivan, this documentary provides an intimate look at a range of experiences and identities—enriched with interviews from leading Black feminist thinkers, elders, and historians, including Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Nikki Finney, Alexis Deveaux, and CC Carter. Ultimately, the life-saving, life-giving power of words is the foundation of a project so moving it will leave you saying “amen.”

— Sophia Lanza-Weil

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