Ouanga

8/28: With intro by guest curator Kelli Weston

Dir. George Terwilliger. 1936, 56 mins. Archival 35mm. With Fredi Washington, Philip Brandon, Marie Paxton, Sheldon Leonard. Terwilliger’s today obscure zombie feature stars Washington as Clelie Gordon, a biracial plantation owner who grows wrathful when her white lover rejects her to marry a white woman. Clelie, a powerful voodoo priestess, summons zombie underlings to go after her rival, cementing the zombie’s penchant for expressing fears around endangered white womanhood and miscegenation. Importantly, Ouanga is notable for starring a Black actress, and even as the narrative blatantly antagonizes her, Washington’s presence imbues the film with unexpected depth.

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / Free or discounted for MoMI members ($11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.

Ticketholders may add on a visit to the Living with the Walking Dead exhibition for $10.