The Classic Black Cinema Series: The Watermelon Woman

Sun Jun 12 2022 at 02:00 pm to 05:00 pm

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture | Charlotte

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
Publisher/HostHarvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
The Classic Black Cinema Series: The Watermelon Woman
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Visit The Gantt for a monthly featured film screening in The Classic Black Cinema Series! Witness the rich history of Black filmmaking.
About this Event

The opening sequence of The Watermelon Woman shows Cheryl, a 25-year-old African-American lesbian, filming a heterosexual wedding. It's the perfect set-up for writer/director Cheryl Dunye's sweetly sardonic, pretension-busting look at an African-American lesbian filmmaker negotiating our complex world.

In this 1996 film, Cheryl works at a video rental store in Philadelphia. She is interested in films from the 1930s and 1940s that feature Black actresses, noting that the actresses in these roles are often not credited. After watching a film titled Plantation Memories in which a Black actress playing a mammy is credited only as "The Watermelon Woman," she decides to make a documentary in which she attempts to uncover the Watermelon Woman's identity.


Event Photos

About the Classic Black Cinema Series

Specifically designed as a vehicle to expose the community to the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years, the goal of the film series is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of Black cinema.

Curator and host, Felix Curtis, came to Charlotte from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area where he curated The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks, the annual film festival component of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, where he later served as Executive Director.

Please note that you can register at no charge, but will have to pay the price of admission to the Gantt (free for members). Visit here for hours and admission.

For directions and parking, click here.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, United States

Tickets

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