Cheryl Dunye

Cheryl Dunye (born 13 May 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Quotes “The watermelon woman came from the real lack of any information about the lesbian and film history of African American women. Since it wasn’t happening, I invented it,” “They mixed up the reels,” “There were 20 minutes in the middle where it just stopped.” “That shouldn’t happen on Sunday,” Dunye laughed. “The Castro that I briefly experienced 20 years ago was very much like what he described in his film, and sad to say, it really hasn’t changed for folks of colors,” “It’s strongly a place where white gay men exist and live and carved out and made viable and all of those wonderful things that happen with communities and space, but it’s definitely one where the impact of cultural diversity within the queer community hasn’t really stuck," "I’m not saying that’s a negative thing or a positive thing, that’s just how it is.” “It’s different for black lesbians,” “It is a space where a part of your identity can feel reclaimed, and I think that’s what The Watermelon Woman really talks about, this reclamation of the pluralities that we hold in our identity.” “This film is not just a queer film, a black film, an indie film,” “This is an important piece of cinema.” “I really do hope that 10 years from now, 20 years from now, people have the ability to see it in more and more communities, because everybody doesn’t get to a film festival.” “The festival is definitely a wonderful thing,” “But it’s not just the film festival, it’s about education, which is about filmmakers, which is about community and culture. I think this last week of the festival and my film being sort of on that day that rounds it out, I hope that it really inspires people to go see more projects that they wouldn’t be able to see at regular theaters or regular festivals, you know, check out community stuff.” “Being at the Castro and just sitting there and feeling the ridiculous stories and events that have filled that space just feels great,” “The seats are great, and we add that modern touch of people speaking from the audience and clapping and comments, which I think is rare in the cinema house.” "We have so few of these theaters left across America,” “It’s great to know that this is still alive and that there is a younger generation going back to the cinema to see and experience community in a dark room with a great story being told.” The Watermelon Woman, 20 Years Later: An Interview With Local Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye-hoodline(30 April 2016) “The Watermelon Woman,” is proof of that, of “what you can do when you’re invisible,” “I think [the film] lives on for that reason, because people still don’t know what a black queer person looks like, unless it’s a farcical, drag queeny, commercial way,” “That’s not all that we are. We’re a varied, beautiful ‘rainbow’ of identities.” “Tons of people were in black cinema — toms, coons, mulattoes, mammies and bucks,” “We’re losing these really vital stories from the queer canon and these representations of LGBTQ individuals are just disappearing throughout history,” Director Cheryl Dunye on her groundbreaking LGBTQ film ‘The Watermelon Woman,’ 20 years later-Los Angeles Times (29 November 2016)