The Watermelon Woman15

Directed by Cheryl Dunye | USA | 1996 | 1h 25m | Starring Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson, Cheryl Clarke

In 1990s Philadelphia, a young black lesbian filmmaker begins making a documentary about Fae Richards, an obscure black actress from the 1930s known as “the watermelon woman.” As she delves into Fae’s story, surprising and resonant parallels to her own life began to emerge. Balancing breezy rom-com with a serious inquiry into the history of Black and queer women in Hollywood, Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker.

Reviews

‘Dunye’s smart and poignant twisting of history makes the film a timeless statement.’
★★★★
Calum Baker, Radio Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Watermelon Woman between March 11, 2024 and March 14, 2024.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Tomorrow (Wednesday 24th September)

15:30

Young Mothers 12A
1h 46m | French w/ English subtitles
Belgian filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Two Days, One Night) deliver an unflinching, empathetic portrait of teens raising babies in a state shelter. This Cannes-winning drama captures dignity, hardship, and hope in the face of systemic neglect.

Book here

18:00

Caught Stealing 15
1h 47m
Austin Butler and Matt Smith star in Darren Aronofsky’s (Black Swan) darkly comic 90s-set crime thriller. A burned-out ex-ballplayer agrees to cat-sit, then plunges into New York’s violent underworld, dodging gangsters in a chaotic fight for survival.

Book here

20:30

The Ceremony 15
1h 32m | Arabic, Kurdish, & Romanian with English subtitles
Two undocumented Romanian workers in rural England face a moral crisis that could destroy their friendship. Jack King’s award-winning debut is a visually arresting, slow-burn drama about survival and finding common ground in desperate circumstances.

Book here


Thursday 25th September

15:30

Sorry, Baby 15
Deaf/HOH subtitles
1h 43m
Eva Victor writes and stars in this tender, darkly funny debut about healing from trauma. When a friend’s visit highlights her own emotional stasis, Agnes begins confronting the past, inching toward a new future in this heartfelt comedy.

Book here

18:00

Young Mothers 12A
1h 46m | French w/ English subtitles
Belgian filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Two Days, One Night) deliver an unflinching, empathetic portrait of teens raising babies in a state shelter. This Cannes-winning drama captures dignity, hardship, and hope in the face of systemic neglect.

Book here

20:30

Caught Stealing 15
1h 47m
Austin Butler and Matt Smith star in Darren Aronofsky’s (Black Swan) darkly comic 90s-set crime thriller. A burned-out ex-ballplayer agrees to cat-sit, then plunges into New York’s violent underworld, dodging gangsters in a chaotic fight for survival.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!