The Watermelon Woman
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| The Watermelon Woman | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Cheryl Dunye |
| Produced by | Alexandra Juhasz Barry Swimar Cate Wilson |
| Written by | Cheryl Dunye |
| Starring | Cheryl Dunye Guinevere Turner Valarie Walker |
| Cinematography | Michelle Crenshaw |
| Editing by | Cheryl Dunye |
| Distributed by | First Run Features |
| Release date(s) | 1996 |
| Running time | 90 mins |
| Country | US |
| Language | English |
The Watermelon Woman was a 1996 feature film by filmmaker Cheryl Dunye about Cheryl, a young black lesbian working a dayjob in a video store while trying to make a film about a Black actress from the 1930's known for playing the stereotypical "mammy' roles relegated to Black actresses durng the time period.
Plot 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. (taken from amazon.com)
