‘The Watermelon Woman’ was the name given to the mythical Fae Richards, a beautiful yet elusive black Actress from the 1930s. In all her films, it was her only billing, why should that be? It is a mystery that perplexes Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), a young black filmmaker. She sets out to solve the mystery by making a documentary about this forgotten star.

The Watermelon Woman has garnered critical and audience acclaim since its release and has become a staple in lesbian cinema. Upon its release, The Watermelon Woman made history as the first narrative feature to be released by an out Black lesbian filmmaker. The film is fiction, but as Cheryl Dunye says, 'Sometimes you have to create your own history.'

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Director Cheryl Dunye
Year 1996
Duration 1h 29m
Language English
Cast Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Lisa Marie Bronson