Today in Art Activism: Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye – The Watermelon Woman
May 5, 2021
Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye examines the life of the Watermelon Woman, a black actress of the 1930’s who played a variety of “mammy” archetypes.Cheryl Dunye is a trailblazing, Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress; centring her work around the issues of race, sexuality, and gender.
Dunye sought research reflecting black actresses in early film; subsequently discovering that the credits for black women were often omitted. Dunye then decided to use her creativity to reflect the black women omitted in early film; prompting the birth of The Watermelon Woman.
