The wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker. Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship.

Welcome to another year of the monthly Sidewalk Film 101 series at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. Along with supplemental readings and resources to contextualize each featured film, each screening will include a special introduction.