Cheryl Dunye
Liberian-American film director and producerWikipedia
7
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Search complete. 7 mentions across 7 episodes found for "Cheryl Dunye".
Oct 23, 2026
Josh LarsenHOST
But also, let me jump back to the festival real quick.
Josh LarsenHOST
I want to mention one thing I did see that I'm sure most of our listeners have already seen, but sadly for me, it was a 30th anniversary screening of The Watermelon Woman, which I have had on my to-watch list for way too long, co-written and directed by Cheryl Dunye, who also stars.
Josh LarsenHOST
And this landmark, knew of this as this landmark black, queer woman debut that, um, I just had to catch up with at some point.
Josh LarsenHOST
So I saw it on the schedule, um, 30th anniversary screen.
speaker_2GUEST
So, um, I'm excited to be able to listen to what they have to say about their experiences, uh, in creating queer cinema.
speaker_2GUEST
We're also honoring, um, uh, Cheryl Dunye with a retrospective, a 30th anniversary screening of her film, The Watermelon Woman.
AaronHOST
Mm.
speaker_2GUEST
Just a, such an important and amazing person in, like, queer Black cinema.
Garrett PattenGUEST
Um, but that, I'd, I'd say that's a little bit more uncomfortable, like watching yourself.
Joanne ButcherHOST
[laughs] My favorite experience of that, one year, years ago, I was at Sundance and, um, one of my favorite directors, Cheryl Dunye, she had made the film The Watermelon Woman.
Joanne ButcherHOST
It was her second feature, and it was set in a woman's prison.
Joanne ButcherHOST
And, um, the, the, there's a young woman who commits a crime so she can get into the prison to meet the mother she never met.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
Like, they have made a movie that is so idiosyncratic, so completely their experience, s- like, almost to the level that it felt more like a painting than a film.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
And that is, like, what so many great queer artists have done since Gus Van Sant made Mala Noche, since Cheryl Dunye made Watermelon Woman, since Isaac Julien made Looking for Langston, since, uh, fucking, um, uh, Rainer Werner Fassbinder made everything he made.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
When gay, queer people are, like, lock the fuck in on their, like, creepy little obsessions, like, their cr- obsession being, like, the ways in which horror movies have shaped their, like, subconscious, we sing and we are so expansive and so much more dynamic and interesting.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
And we also are not trying to make things for everybody.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
Like, they have made a movie that is so idiosyncratic, so completely their experience.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
It's, like, almost to the level that it felt more like a painting than a film, and that is, like, what so many great queer artists have done since Gus Van Sant made Mala Noche, since Cheryl Dunye made Watermelon Woman, since Isaac Julien made Looking for Langston, since, uh, fucking, um, uh, Rainer Werner Fassbinder made everything he made.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
When gay, queer people are, like, lock the fuck in on their, like, creepy little obsessions, like, their cr- obsession being, like, the ways in which horror movies has shaped their, like, subconscious, we sing and we are so expansive and so much more dynamic and interesting.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
And we also are not trying to make things for everybody.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
Like, they have made a movie that is so idiosyncratic, so completely their experience, s- like, almost to the level that it felt more like a painting than a film.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
And that is, like, what so many great queer artists have done since Gus Van Sant made Mala Noche, since Cheryl Dunye made Watermelon Woman, since Isaac Julien made Looking for Langston, since, uh, fucking, um, uh, Rainer Werner Fassbinder made everything he made.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
When gay, queer people are, like, locked the fuck in on their, like, creepy little obsessions, like their c- obsession being, like, the ways in which horror movies have shaped their, like, subconscious, we sing, and we are so expansive and so much more dynamic and interesting.
Jeremy O. HarrisGUEST
And we also are not trying to make things for everybody.
W. Kamau BellGUEST
And so I have other things I have to do, but it is about, like, I'm a, you know, my wife is a part of the company, but I'm a one-man band at this point.
W. Kamau BellGUEST
Like, you know, my office space, Cheryl Dunye has now moved in and we share it together.
W. Kamau BellGUEST
So it has become a place for other creatives, but it was supposed to be at one point, like, the launching pad for more.
W. Kamau BellGUEST
Yeah.