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

The screening on Thursday 4 July, will be introduced by Buitumelo Kotekwa.

An iconic film that seamlessly blends romance, comedy, and political themes of Black queer oppression.

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.

buitumelo (b.1991, Bulawayo) is an artist and poet. they’re lesbian africanfuturist and their practice across mediums focuses on the unravelling and reconstruction of worlds centring the global majority and the echoes of Black peoples through time. they're a part of black fly, a sexual health zine and art collective. Currently they're working on their debut poetry collection.

Cast:
Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker