All screenings will be shown with English subtitles (not HOH).

The screening on Sunday 30 June, will be introduced by Aude Konan.

The wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker. Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship with a white girlfriend (Guinevere Turner). Balancing breezy romantic comedy with a serious inquiry into the history of Black and queer women in Hollywood, The Watermelon Woman slyly rewrites long-standing constructions of race and sexuality on-screen, introducing an important voice in American cinema.

Aude Konan is a writer, filmmaker and workshop leader. They wrote My little sister (Ma petite soeur), her first novel, at only 12 years old. It got published by the publishing company Dagan. As a playwright, she is an alumni of Talawa TYPT 15, Soho Writers Group and the Royal Court’s Introduction to Playwriting. Aude is an award-winning writer, and writes scripts as well as articles for British, French and American magazines such as Complex UK, Style Caster, Gal-Dem, Okay Africa, and The Guardian.

Cast:
Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker