The Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing

This evocative DVD-ROM from the Labyrinth Project, based on a memoir by Carroll Parrot Blue, leads viewers on a rich visual and textual exploration of Blue’s family history, and of the history of Houston’s black community. Using her great-grandmother’s quilt as an interface, Blue and co-director Kristy H. A. Kang create plateaus of historical and narrative interest in a series of visual “panscapes,” constructed from original photographs, video and archival materials, and the spoken word. Winner of an Online Film Festival Jury Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

—Shannon Kelley