Spoleto Festival USA will partner with the International African American Museum during the 2026 Festival to present screenings of HOMEGOING, a 10-minute short film presented in conjunction with Spoleto’s presentation of Davóne Tines & THE TRUTH: REVIVAL.
Created by filmmaker Julie Dash and Davóne Tines, HOMEGOING is a collaborative musical tribute honoring the Emanuel Nine — the nine Black parishioners murdered during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015. Through music, ritual, and restrained yet powerful visual storytelling, the film creates space for grief, dignity, healing, and joy.
At the center of the film is Tines’s performance with his band THE TRUTH, featuring “LET IT SHINE,” his rendition of the civil rights anthem “This Little Light of Mine.” Long associated with activists including Fannie Lou Hamer, Zilphia Horton, and Paul Robeson, the song becomes both memorial and invocation in Tines’s interpretation. Filmed at Mother Emanuel AME Church and the Angel Oak Tree, HOMEGOING asks a profound question: What if a memorial was a monument to joy?
Originally featured in the landmark MONUMENTS exhibition curated by Hamza Walker, Bennett Simpson, and Kara Walker for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, HOMEGOING now returns to Charleston in meaningful dialogue with the city and communities that inspired its creation. The film will be on view at the International African American Museum from May 22 to June 7 during regular museum operating hours.
In addition to the screenings, audiences will have the opportunity to hear directly from Tines about the artistic process behind the film, including his collaboration with Dash and members of THE TRUTH — John Bitoy (piano) and Khari Lucas (sound artist). Monuments to Joy: The Making of “HOMEGOING” will take place on May 26 at 12:00 pm at the International African American Museum.
Admission to the screenings is included with museum admission. Seating is first-come, first-served.
To learn more about HOMEGOING, visit iaamuseum.org.