Cheryl, genç bir siyah lezbiyen, bir video mağazasında gündüz işi yaparken, 1930’larda siyah oyuncuların o dönemde sıkıştırıldığı stereotipik “mammy” rollerini oynayan siyah bir aktris hakkında bir film yapmaya çalışıyor. Bu, bir “açık” siyah lezbiyen tarafından yönetilen ilk uzun metrajlı filmdi.

The Watermelon Woman

Inspired by a collection of personal notebooks, this feature-length director’s cut of the short film by the same name is an experimental documentary on art, AIDS and activism. Following James Wentzy from South Dakota to New York City, the film traces his days from struggling and surviving as an artist to later becoming an AIDS video activist. In showcasing a unique individual through his involvement with the fight against AIDS and his tireless frontline reportage of the crisis, The Books of James is an intimate portrait of a neglected everyman/hero and unearths a time now forgotten.