Afrofuturistic ‘Mino: A Diasporic Myth’ Trailer Centers Black Women

From start to finish, there are Black women present, on screen in the trailer of Mino: A Diasporic Myth. Why is this important to point out? Because so often on screen, I don’t always see women who look like me. Additionally, I don’t always see women who look like me in narratives in cinema crafted by women who look like me. Lastly, I don’t always see women who look like me on screen in narratives crafted by women who look like me in tales of the afro-futuristic kind, which is always welcomed. The trailer opens to an idyllic place in time, the first shots are of a group of Black women out and about chatting in the sun, gathering all the greens and all the vegetables. This is a haven, a utopia of women only, living their best lives in the year of 2079. This trailer is for a film about a coven of Black women who can self-conceive and live without men, and it has been making waves on the film festival circuit winning the New Orleans Jury Award at the New Orleans Black Film Festival back in December 2019. From the glimpses of young women and older women featured in the trailer, I gather that Mino: A Diasporic Myth is, at its core, an Afrofuturistic tale about the power of relationships between Black women.

Southern born and raised in the heart of rural Georgia, Director Ashunda Norris has written, directed and produced films since she moved to LA some seven years ago. She’s also had the opportunity to edit a short documentary on location in Kampala, Uganda. Norris is currently …