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.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 4th November)

15:45

NAZA 15
1h 17m | Arabic & Hebrew w/ English subtitles
Filmed at night from Tel Aviv rooftops, NAZA investigates civilian deaths in Gaza and the systems behind Israel’s targeted killings of Palestinians. Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (No Other Land) premiered it at Venice, where it won the Special Jury Prize.

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17:45

The Social Reckoning 15
1h 52m
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen teams up with a Wall Street Journal reporter to expose the social network's darkest secrets. Aaron Sorkin follows up The Social Network with this true-story legal thriller, starring Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison and Jeremy Strong.

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20:30

Revenge 18
1h 48m | French w/ English subtitles
Jen's romantic getaway turns violent when her boyfriend's friends arrive uninvited, leaving her for dead. She survives, and sets out on a relentless quest for revenge. A stylish, subversive debut from director Coralie Fargeat (The Substance).

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Tomorrow (Thursday 5th November)

15:15

The Social Reckoning 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 52m
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen teams up with a Wall Street Journal reporter to expose the social network's darkest secrets. Aaron Sorkin follows up The Social Network with this true-story legal thriller, starring Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison and Jeremy Strong.

Book here

18:00

We the Hated 15
1h 29m
Through the stories of Just Stop Oil activists, this documentary goes behind the headlines of one of the UK’s most polarising protest movements, exploring the climate crisis, civil disobedience, and the meaning of democracy. Followed by a Q&A with the director.

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20:45

Case 137 12A
1h 56m | French w/ English subtitles
Internal Affairs officer Stéphanie investigates a young man badly wounded at a Paris demonstration, and finds institutional resistance at every turn. Dominik Moll (Night of the 12th) directs, with an award-winning Léa Drucker performance.

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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 only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!