Double Feature
The Watermelon Woman
Cheryl Dunye made cinematic history with The Watermelon Woman, the first American feature to be directed by a black lesbian as well as an incisive, humorous critique of classic Hollywood’s racist stereotypes. Dunye plays an eponymous video store employee and burgeoning filmmaker who sets out to make a documentary on the Watermelon Woman (Lisa Marie Bronson), an actress who specialized in “mammy” roles for Hollywood productions of the 30s and 40s. As Cheryl uncovers the Watermelon Woman’s identity she not only learns about a secret behind-the-scenes interracial romance but also begins one of her own with Diana (Guinevere Turner), a white woman who arouses the ire of Cheryl’s best friend Tamara (Valerie Walker). A landmark of the New Queer Cinema, The Watermelon Woman testifies to the power of excavating legacies of oppression and in the process creates a progressive legacy of its own. (Janus Films)
- Director
- Cheryl Dunye
- Writer
- Cheryl Dunye
- Starring
- Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson
- Year
- 1996
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 16mm
- Running Time
- 84 minutes
Go Fish
Meet Max, a hot & hip young lesbian looking for love and sex in Chicago. Enter Ely, a shy, hippieish, slightly older woman with seemingly little in common. But with the help of friends, love can blossom in this story of a woman looking for Ms. Right but going about it all wrong. A pioneering work of New Queer Cinema, director-screenwriter Rose Troche and screenwriter-star Guinevere Turner craft an artistically authentic comedy – stylishly filmed in black and white – that truly shines.
- Director
- Rose Troche
- Writer
- Guinevere Turner & Rose Troche
- Starring
- Guinevere Turner, V.S. Brodie, T. Wendy McMillan, Anastasia Sharp
- Year
- 1994
- Country
- USA
- Format
- 35mm
- Running Time
- 83 minutes