The Watermelon Woman (DVD)

*This is NOT a comic! But I went to film school, you know? 

By Cheryl Dunye. Published by Peccadillo Pictures.

DVD, 85 minutes, Colour, 1997

Rediscover THE WATERMELON WOMAN in this restored 20^th Anniversary Edition.

‘The Watermelon Woman’ was the name given to the mythical Fae Richards, a beautiful yet elusive black Actress from the 1930’s. In all her films, it was her only billing, why should that be? It is a mystery that perplexes Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), a young black film maker. She sets out to solve the mystery by making a documentary about this forgotten star.

The Watermelon Woman garnered great critical and audience acclaim, and contains the most notorious lesbian sex scene of its time, (which even saw the film being discussed in Congress). The film is a fiction, but Cheryl Dunye says, “Sometimes you have to create your own history.”

Extra Features:
Three short films by Cheryl Dunye
– Greetings from Africa
– The Potluck and the Passion
– She don’t Fade

• “A witty exploration of black American culture, past and present” – Time Out London
  

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• “With biting humor and a sharp eye towards hidden histories, the film deftly captures the search for identity and how we, in turn, preserve and share history” – Interview magazine