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The Watermelon Woman

1997 · TMDB 6.9

Directed by Cheryl Dunye

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

Why it matters

Cheryl Dunye plays a version of herself, a video-store clerk hunting for a forgotten Black actress while navigating a white girlfriend and a mounting video-store bill. Playful, formally cheeky, and entirely serious about who gets to write the record.

From The Long Way Home, and Who Pays For It

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