Think Out Loud

Oregon Shakespeare film ‘Ash Land’ takes on racism, identity and history

By Allison Frost (OPB)
Feb. 3, 2021 3:37 p.m.

Broadcast: Wednesday, Feb. 3

Kamilah Long and Cyndii Johnson in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival film "Ash Land."

Kamilah Long and Cyndii Johnson in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival film "Ash Land."

Tyler Maddox

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The play is no longer the thing for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. OSF has shifted to film and other digital content, in the pandemic. Its new short film, “Ash Land” is a meditation on race, history and identity, as reflected in the life of a Black woman coming to terms with the past. It is streaming on the OSF website and has been selected to be part of the Pan African Film Festival. Director Shariffa Ali and actor Cyndii Johnson tell us more about their creative process and how the film speaks to this moment.

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