THE WATERMELON WOMAN
Winner of the Teddy Award for films with LGBTQ+ themes at the 1996 Berlinale and a landmark work of New Queer Cinema, THE WATERMELON WOMAN is the story of Cheryl (director Cheryl Dunye), a 20-something Black lesbian struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, a beautiful and elusive 1930s Black film actress popularly known as "The Watermelon Woman." While uncovering the meaning of Fae Richards' life, Cheryl experiences a total upheaval in her personal life. Her love affair with Diana (Guinevere Turner, AMERICAN PSYCHO, GO FISH), a beautiful white woman, and her interactions with the gay and Black communities are subject to the comic yet biting criticism of her best friend Tamara (Valarie Walker). Meanwhile, each answer Cheryl discovers about "The Watermelon Woman" evokes a flurry of new questions about herself and her future. (Note adapted from First Run Features.) DIR/SCR Cheryl Dunye; PROD Alexandra Juhasz, Barry Swimar. U.S., 1996, color, 84 min. NOT RATED
Run Time: 84 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Genre: Comedy-drama, romance
