Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Liberia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
Born in Monrovia. The Watermelon Woman was the first feature written and directed by an out Black lesbian, and it is now in the American canon.
Cheryl Dunye was born in Monrovia on 13 May 1966 and is a Liberian-American director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress.
The Watermelon Woman (1996) was the first feature-length narrative film written and directed by an out Black lesbian, built around the gaps in Hollywood's record of Black women. Her later work includes Stranger Inside for HBO, The Owls, which premiered at Berlin, and Black Is Blue. She has taught at UCLA, CalArts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and elsewhere, and founded Jingletown Films in Oakland to support storytellers of colour and queer artists.
The Watermelon Woman (1996) was the first feature-length narrative film written and directed by an out Black lesbian, built around the gaps in Hollywood's record of Black women. Her later work includes Stranger Inside for HBO, The Owls, which premiered at Berlin, and Black Is Blue. She has taught at UCLA, CalArts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and elsewhere, and founded Jingletown Films in Oakland to support storytellers of colour and queer artists.
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