CLASSIC BLACK CINEMA SERIES: ‘THE WATERMELON WOMAN

The first narrative feature by an out Black lesbian filmmaker, director Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman (1996) follows the travails of a fledgling Black lesbian documentarian. Played by Dunye, the protagonist attempts to piece together the career of a beautiful Black actress who played a mammy character in 1930s dramas. Along the way, the filmmaker is blocked by gatekeepers including white gay men, white lesbians and hostile policemen.