2023 Black History Month: The Watermelon Woman

“The Watermelon Woman” is a pseudo-documentary that follows Cheryl (played by director Cheryl Dunye), a young Black lesbian filmmaker working at a video store in Philadelphia. While making a documentary, she becomes fascinated by an African American actress from the 1930s credited only as “The Watermelon Woman” in old race films. The actress is later identified as Fae Richards. As Cheryl researches Fae’s life, she discovers that Fae was also a lesbian who had a relationship with a white female director. Parallel to her research, Cheryl begins a relationship with a white woman named Diana (played by Guinevere Turner). The film interweaves Cheryl’s personal journey with her investigation of Fae’s life and career.

“She did so much, Cheryl. That's what you have to speak about. She paved the way for kids like you to run around makin’ movies about the past and how we lived then. Please, Cheryl, make our history before we are all dead and gone.”

June Walker to Cheryl

“The Watermelon Woman” stands as a revolutionary piece of cinema for numerous significant reasons. As the first feature film directed by an openly Black lesbian filmmaker, it carved out a new space in American independent cinema. Dunye’s work boldly addressed the systematic erasure of Black LGBTQ+ people from historical records, using an innovative blend of fictional narrative and documentary-style storytelling to illuminate these overlooked stories.

The film’s exploration of intersectionality was remarkably ahead of its time. It deftly weaves together themes of race, gender, and sexuality, refusing to treat these identities as separate or hierarchical. Through its parallel storylines of past and present interracial relationships, the film creates a powerful commentary on how these dynamics have evolved – or in some cases, remained stagnant – over time. The film’s frank discussion of these themes paved the way for more nuanced representations in future cinema.