Sometimes you have to create your own history.
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
The Watermelon Woman (1997) is a drama, comedy and romance film directed by Cheryl Dunye, released on March 5, 1997 with a runtime of 1h 25m. It stars Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker and Lisa Marie Bronson. Viewers rate it 6.9 out of 10 across 125 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Watermelon Woman before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Watermelon Woman.
Trailer
Clip
Clip
Clip
Featurette
Featurette
Cheryl Dunye
as Cheryl
Guinevere Turner
as Diana
Valarie Walker
as Tamara
Lisa Marie Bronson
as Fae "The Watermelon Woman" Richards
Cheryl Clarke
as June Walker
Irene Dunye
as Self
Brian Freeman
as Lee Edwards
Ira Jeffries
as Shirley Hamilton
Alexandra Juhasz
as Martha Page
Camille Paglia
as Self
Sarah Schulman
as CLIT Archivist
V.S. Brodie
as Karaoke Singer
Directed by Cheryl Dunye, written by Cheryl Dunye and Douglas McKeown, produced by Barry Swimar and Alexandra Juhasz.
Average viewer score of 6.9/10 from 125 ratings.
In some ways this makes for quite an intriguing docu-drama on the historic roles of African American woman in cinema as the silents gave way to the talkies. Back then, many a cast member, regardless of race or sex, was given a simple title or bit part to avoid them being paid more than absolutely necessary, and one such lady that featured now and again was referred to as the “Watermelon Woman”. Almost a century…
Reviewed on August 2, 2025
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The Watermelon Woman (1997) is available to stream on Criterion Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Watermelon Woman (1997) includes Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson and Cheryl Clarke. The film was directed by Cheryl Dunye. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Watermelon Woman was released on March 5, 1997 and runs for 1h 25m.
The Watermelon Woman (1997) holds an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 125 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, comedy and romance films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Watermelon Woman trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
