Films A to Z
The Watermelon Woman
- Runtime:
- 90 min.
- Year of Production:
- 1995
- Country:
- USA
- Director:
- Cast:
- Cheryl Dunye
Guinevere Turner
Valarie Walker
Lisa Marie Bronson
Irene Dunye
Brian Freeman
Camille Paglia
Sarah Schulman
V.S. Brodie
R. D. Reid - Production Company:
- Dancing Girl Production
- Berlinale Section:
- Panorama
- Berlinale Category:
- Feature Film
- Teddy Award:
- Best Feature Film
Cheryl Dunye's debut feature THE WATERMELON WOMAN is as controversial as it is sexy and funny. Cheryl is a twenty-something black lesbian working as a clerk in a video store while struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, an obscure black actress from the 1930's. Cheryl is surprised to discover that Richards (known popularly as "the Watermelon Woman") had a white lesbian lover. At the same time, Cheryl falls in love with a very cute white customer at the video store (Guinevere Turner from Go Fish). Such are the complexities of race and sex in this startlingly fresh debut, which has been attacked by conservative Congressmen for having been funded by the NEA and lavishingly praised in the editorial pages for being charming and courageous. (Source: First Run Features)
Produced by Barry Swimar (PARIS IS BURNING) and Alexandra Juhasz, Dunye's debut feature follows Cheryl, played by herself, as she struggles to make a video-documentary about a beautiful 1930's film actress popularly know as "the Watermelon Woman." The film features many notables from the lesbian and gay community including: Guin Turner (GO FISH), Sarah Schulman, Camille Paglia and highlights the photography of Zoe Leonard. The film is currently being theatrically distributed in the U.S. by First Run Features. (Source: www.cheryldunye.com)
BIOGRAFIE Cheryl Dunye
Born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1966. After graduating from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Jersey, she began making films in which she also played the leading role. She first took part in the Berlinale’s Panorama section with her 1995 work GREETINGS FROM AFRICA. In 1996 she received a Teddy Award for THE WATERMELON WOMAN. She is currently teaching at Temple University’s Department of Film and Media Arts.
FILMOGRAFIE Cheryl Dunye (selection)
2012 Mommy Is Coming
2009 The Owls
2004 My Baby´s Daddy
1995 The Watermelon Woman
1993 Untitled Portait
1992 Vanilla Sex