Cheryl Dunye's 1996 landmark film, The Watermelon Woman, arrives as an essential part of our Pride programming.
Cheryl (played by Dunye) is a young black lesbian filmmaker who gets by through her video store job and documentary project. Probing into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes, Cheryl finds the integral topic to center her project around, bringing family, experts, and friends of family onboard to interview and learn more and make a forgotten actress remembered.
The first feature film to be directed by a Black lesbian, The Watermelon Woman resonates with potent filmmaking and indictment of the Golden Age of film history.
Friday, June 16th
Cinema Name:Frida Cinema
Screen:Screen 1
Certificate:NC-17
Start Time:2:00 pm
Running Time:85 mins.
Approx End Time:3:25 pm
2D / 3D:
Subtitled:
Wheelchair Access:
We are OC’s year-round film festival.