Diary of an African Nun

Diary of an African Nun

1977 · 16 min · ★ 6.5 · Drama

An Ugandan nun is consumed by fear and doubt about her decision to take the solemn vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Her anguish intensifies night after night as she lies on a hard bed in her small room at the convent and listens to the rhythmic, beckoning drums of her village.

Directed by Julie Dash

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

1h 7m together

Diary of an African Nun

A Different Image

Both from Julie Dash.

More from Julie DashSee all →

A Different ImageA Different Image · 1982
A Different Image
★ 8.01982
MovieDrama
An African American woman living away from her family in Los Angeles yearns to be recognized for more than her physical attributes. In cultivating the friendship of a male office mate, she aspires to a relationship where romance is not a factor, seeking someone who can "see her as she is," rather than see only what he wants to see. (UCLA Film & Television Archive)
Funny ValentinesFunny Valentines · 1999
Funny Valentines
★ 7.71999
MovieDrama
A woman returns to her home town to sort out her troubled marriage and finds new happiness in the rekindling of a broken friendship with her cousin.
Queen SugarQueen Sugar · 2016
Queen Sugar
★ 7.72016
SeriesDrama
Two sisters, Nova Bordelon and Charley Bordelon, with her teenage son Micah moves to the heart of Louisiana to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father - an 800-acre sugarcane farm.
Love SongLove Song · 2000
Love Song
★ 7.62000
MovieRomanceDrama
A privileged, black college student with a fiance falls in love with a white musician she meets on her 21st birthday.
My Brother's WeddingMy Brother's Wedding · 1985
My Brother's Wedding
★ 7.11985
MovieDrama
A young African-American man, living in Los Angeles without direction in his life, reluctantly agrees to be the best man for his brother, an upwardly mobile lawyer.
The Rosa Parks StoryThe Rosa Parks Story · 2002
The Rosa Parks Story
★ 7.02002
MovieDramaHistory
A seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.
IncognitoIncognito · 1999
Incognito
★ 7.01999
MovieDramaThriller
A young socialite hires a bodyguard to protect her when an ex-convict begins stalking her.
Wanda Sykes: LegacyWanda Sykes: Legacy · 2026
Wanda Sykes: Legacy
★ 6.62026
MovieComedy
Wanda Sykes returns to her alma mater with a fearlessly funny takedown of everything from the state of the world to the cultural clash over washcloths.
American PlayhouseAmerican Playhouse · 1982
American Playhouse
★ 6.61982
SeriesDramaComedy
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.
Daughters of the DustDaughters of the Dust · 1991
Daughters of the Dust
★ 6.31991
MovieDramaRomance
In 1902, a Gullah family on the Sea Islands off South Carolina decide whether to migrate to the mainland, risking their unique cultural heritage.
Four WomenFour Women · 1975
Four Women
★ 6.21975
MovieDramaMusic
An imaginatively choreographed dance interpretation of the ballad by Nina Simone explores four common stereotypes of Black women.
IllusionsIllusions · 1982
Illusions
★ 6.11982
MovieDrama
A woman in a Hollywood dubbing studio struggles with race and preconceptions. The short film depicts the life of an African American woman passing as a white woman working in the film industry during the 1940s. It calls attention to the lack of African Americans in the film industry during that era.
Subway StoriesSubway Stories · 1997
Subway Stories
★ 5.61997
MovieTV MovieComedy
An anthology of 10 stories depicting real-life incidents of subway riders in New York City, which range from compassion and love to violence and loss.
Praise HousePraise House · 1991
Praise House
★ 3.71991
MovieDramaMusic
“Draw or Die” is the divine imperative received by the painter, Hannah, who is being nurtured by her Grandmother, but controlled by her pragmatic mother. When her Granny spirit shouts this command to Hannah, she closes a celebration of personal visions in a dance piece that is close to visionary in itself.
Women: Stories of PassionWomen: Stories of Passion · 1996
Women: Stories of Passion
★ 3.01996
SeriesDrama
Women: Stories of Passion is a dramatic series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas. The episodes were based on stories of love, and passion from a woman's point of view.
HomeGoingHomeGoing · 2025
HomeGoing
2025
Movie
HomeGoing is a collaborative musical tribute by filmmaker Julie Dash and operatic bass-baritone Davóne Tines, created in remembrance of the Emanuel Nine. Through voice, image and ritual, the film honors the lives taken during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Tines’ performance becomes an offering of grief and resilience, while Dash’s restrained visual language creates a space for reflection, remembrance and dignity.

More Like This

Forrest GumpForrest Gump · 1994
Forrest Gump
★ 8.51994
MovieComedyDrama
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
Citizen KaneCitizen Kane · 1941
Citizen Kane
★ 8.01941
MovieMysteryDrama
Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
MetropolisMetropolis · 1927
Metropolis
★ 8.11927
MovieDramaScience Fiction
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Open HeartsOpen Hearts · 2002
Open Hearts
★ 7.12002
MovieDramaRomance
Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.
All Quiet on the Western FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front · 1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
★ 7.81930
MovieDramaWar
When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.
Wings of DesireWings of Desire · 1987
Wings of Desire
★ 7.81987
MovieDramaFantasy
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds — with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk — that it might be possible for him to take human form.
Breaking the WavesBreaking the Waves · 1996
Breaking the Waves
★ 7.51996
MovieDramaRomance
In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter