The Watermelon Woman Movie Review 1997

Cheryl (Dunye) is a young, black, lesbian video store clerk who wants to be a documentary filmmaker. She becomes obsessed with a black actress seen in some 1930s black films, who was known only as the "Watermelon Woman." Doing research, Cheryl discovers the woman's name was Fae Richards (Bronson) and that she was a lesbian who had an affair with her white director. While deciding to film a documentary about Fae, Cheryl's personal life begins to parallel Fae's when she briefly falls for white customer, Diana (Turner).

Distribution

First Run Features, The Film Center Building, 630 Ninth Ave., Ste. 1213, New York, NY 10036, Phone: (212)243-0600, Toll-free: 800-229-8575, Fax: (212)989-7649, Email: info@firstrunfeatures.com, URL: http://www.firstrunfeatures.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 85 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Behind the Scenes, Lesbians, Philadelphia, At the Video Store, African America, Interracial Affairs, Karaoke

Screenplay

Cheryl Dunye

Cast

Cheryl Dunye, Valerie Walker, Guinevere Turner, Lisa Marie Bronson

Cinematography

Michelle Crenshaw

Director

Cheryl Dunye

Music

Bill Coleman