The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Drama, General Film

watermelonwoman-1996-poster

Director: Cheryl Dunye

Writer(s): Cheryl Dunye

Starring: Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson, Cheryl Clarke, Irene Dunye, Brian Freeman, Camille Paglia, Sarah Schulman, V.S. Brodie, Shelley Olivier, Toshi Reagon, Emmy Collins, Mickey Goldhaber, K. Brent Hill, Alexandra Juhasz, Gail Lloyd, Christopher Mann, Kat Robertson, Orion McCabe

Synopsis: Cheryl is young, Black, and lesbian, working in Philadelphia with her best friend Tamara and consumed by a film project: to make a video about her search for a Black actress from Philly who appeared in films in the 30s and was known as the Watermelon Woman. Following various leads, Cheryl discovers the Watermelon Woman’s stage name and real name and surmises that the actress had a long affair with Martha Page, a White woman and one of Hollywood’s few female directors. As she’s discovering these things, Cheryl becomes involved with Diana, who’s also White. The affair strains Cheryl’s friendship with Tamara. More discoveries bring Cheryl (and us, her audience) to new realizations.

Release Date: March 5, 1997 (USA) | Length: 90 min | Genre: Drama | MPAA Rating: Unrated | Note(s): The film was re-released on DVD , January 31, 2017, to celebrate it’s 20th Anniversary.