The Watermelon Woman
Cheryl Dunye, director.
USA, 1996, 16mm, 90 min.

Cheryl is an aspiring filmmaker who lives in Philadelphia and works "temporarily" in a video store, along with her best friend Tamara. In search of a history of black women in film, Cheryl uncovers an actress who played "mammy" roles in 1930s Hollywood. She isn't listed in most credits and is known only as "The Watermelon."

As Cheryl unearths her real name and growing evidence that she was a lesbian living in the Philadelphia area, her own life takes a turn for the wicked as she falls for a rich, white girl, straining her relationship with Tamara. A hysterical/historical revision.

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