All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Raven Jackson in her feature-film directorial debut. It stars Charleen McClure, Moses Ingram, Reginald Helms Jr., Zainab Jah, Sheila Atim, and Chris Chalk. Barry Jenkins serves as a producer under his Pastel banner. The film has very little spoken dialogue.
It had its world premiere in the U.S. Dramatic competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2023 and was released by A24 on November 3, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.
Plot The film charts the growth, loves, and heartbreaks of a Black woman in Mississippi, from her childhood through to her adult years.
Cast Charleen McClure as Mack Kaylee Nicole Johnson as young Mack Zainab Jah as older Mack Moses Ingram as Josie Jayah Henry as young Josie Reginald Helms Jr. as Wood Preston McDowell as young Wood Sheila Atim as Evelyn Chris Chalk as Isaiah
Production In February 2021, it was announced that Raven Jackson would write and direct the film, with Barry Jenkins set to serve as a producer under his Pastel banner, and A24 set to produce and distribute.
Principal photography took place in Tennessee and in Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi in the fall of 2021.
Release All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2023. It also screened at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival and the 2023 New York Film Festival. The film was released by A24 on November 3, 2023.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Richard Brody, in The New Yorker, described it as the most distinctive film of 2023 from a strict perspective of inventive narrative form.
Accolades AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultSundance Film Festival January 27, 2023 Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Competition All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt San Sebastián International Film Festival September 30, 2023 Golden Shell RTVE-Another Look Award: Special Mention SIGNIS Award Ghent International Film Festival October 21, 2023 Best Film Chicago International Film Festival October 22, 2023 Gold Hugo Montclair Film Festival October 29, 2023 Breakthrough Director & Writer Award Raven Jackson Gotham Independent Film Awards November 27, 2023 Breakthrough Director National Board of Review December 6, 2023 Top 10 Independent Films All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt IndieWire Critics Poll December 11, 2023 Best Cinematography Jomo Fray Best First Feature All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Chicago Film Critics Association Awards December 12, 2023 Best Editing Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker Raven Jackson Florida Film Critics Circle Awards December 21, 2023 Best First Film Black Reel AwardsJanuary 16, 2024 Outstanding Independent Film All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Outstanding Emerging Director Raven Jackson Outstanding First Screenplay Outstanding Cinematography Jomo Fray Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2024 Best First Feature Raven Jackson, Maria Altamirano, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, and Adele Romanski Best Cinematography Jomo Fray
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