The Watermelon Woman
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1996 • United States
Starring Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker
The wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker. Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship with a white girlfriend (Guinevere Turner). Balancing breezy romantic comedy with a serious inquiry into the history of Black and queer women in Hollywood, THE WATERMELON WOMAN slyly rewrites long-standing constructions of race and sexuality on-screen, introducing an important voice in American cinema.
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The Watermelon Woman
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1996 • United States
Starring Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie WalkerThe wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker. Dunye s...
Extras
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Cheryl Dunye Interview
This interview with writer-director Cheryl Dunye was recorded in 2020.
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Cheryl Dunye on the NEA
In this excerpt from an interview recorded in 2020, director Cheryl Dunye discusses the grant that she received from the National Endowment for the Arts for her film THE WATERMELON WOMAN and the subsequent backlash against its depictions of sexuality.
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Cheryl Dunye in Conversation with Martine Syms
In this conversation, recorded in 2023, director Cheryl Dunye speaks with artist and filmmaker Martine Syms about their respective work as well as issues of identity and representation in queer Black cinema.
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Alexandra Juhasz in Conversation with Thomas Allen Harris
In this conversation, recorded in 2023, WATERMELON WOMAN producer and film scholar Alexandra Juhasz talks with artist, filmmaker, and scholar Thomas Allen Harris about family, identity, and the significance of archiving in the film.
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THE WATERMELON WOMAN Introduction
Critic and Queersighted programmer Michael Koresky and food and film writer Mayukh Sen discuss Cheryl Dunye's landmark film.
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She Don’t Fade
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1991 • United States
Starring Zoie Strauss, Cheryl Dunye, Paula CronanA smart, hilarious, and self-reflexive look at the sexuality of a young black lesbian.
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Vanilla Sex
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1992 • United States
Starring Cheryl DunyeThe filmmaker muses on the slang term of the title: is it who you do, or what you do?
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The Potluck and the Passion
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1993 • United States
Starring Jen Benoit, Shelita Birchett, Pat BranchSparks fly as racial, sexual, and social politics intermingle at a lesbian potluck.
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An Untitled Portrait
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1993 • United States
Cheryl Dunye examines her relationship with her in this collage of appropriated film footage, Super 8 home movies, and Dunye’s own wry brand of humor.
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Greetings from Africa
Directed by Cheryl Dunye • 1996 • United States
Starring Nora Breen, Cheryl Dunye, Jocelyn TaylorPlaying herself, Cheryl Dunye humorously experiences the mysteries of lesbian dating in the 1990s.
