Directed by Cheryl Dunye (USA, 1996, 90 min.).

This landmark of queer cinema is the story of Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), a twenty-something Black lesbian struggling to make a documentary about Fae Richards, a beautiful and elusive 1930s Black film actress popularly known as the Watermelon Woman. While uncovering the meaning of Richards’s life, Cheryl experiences an upheaval in her own: her love affair with Diana (Guinevere Turner), a beautiful white woman, and her interactions with the gay and Black communities are subject to the comic yet biting criticism of her best friend, Tamara (Valerie Walker). Meanwhile, each answer Cheryl discovers about the Watermelon Woman evokes a flurry of new questions about herself and her future.

Presented in partnership with Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival and Boston Pride for the People.

Before and after the screening, take part in special events celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community as part of Pride at the MFA.