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Cheryl Dunye

Biography

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Cheryl Dunye grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and developed her filmmaking practice through experimental video and independent cinema. She earned a B.A. from Temple University and an M.F.A. from Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts.


Dunye gained international recognition with The Watermelon Woman (1996), her groundbreaking feature about a Black lesbian filmmaker investigating the history of a Black actress who appeared in 1930s films. Dunye wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the film, which won the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2021, The Watermelon Woman was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.


Her subsequent work has included the HBO film Stranger Inside, the features My Baby's Daddy, The Owls, and Mommy Is Coming, and the award-winning short Black Is Blue. Dunye has also directed episodes of television series including Queen Sugar, Dear White People, Lovecraft Country, The Chi, All Rise, and Bridgerton.


Dunye has established her filmmaking practice in Oakland, California, where she founded Jingletown Films. She continues to develop independent film projects, including a feature-length version of Black Is Blue.

BQW Impact

Dunye is a foundational figure in Black queer cinema. Her work places Black lesbian and queer women at the center of stories about history, identity, sexuality, race, and community, while challenging the absence of Black queer women from mainstream film history.


Through The Watermelon Woman and her broader body of work, Dunye has helped establish Black lesbian filmmaking as an important part of American independent cinema. Her films also expand representation of Black queer and transgender communities and examine how race, gender, sexuality, and power intersect in everyday life.


Notable Works

  • The Watermelon Woman (1996)

    Landmark feature exploring Black lesbian identity, filmmaking, and the erasure of Black women from film history.

  • Stranger Inside (2001)

    HBO drama examining relationships, identity, and incarceration among Black women in prison.

  • My Baby's Daddy (2004)

    Mainstream comedy marking Dunye's move into studio feature filmmaking.

  • The Owls (2010)

    Feature about a group of older lesbians confronting their past and its consequences.

  • Black Is Blue (2014)

    Award-winning short centered on a Black trans man working security at a lesbian event in Oakland.

  • *Lovecraft Country: "Strange Case" (2020)

    Television episode directed by Dunye exploring race, gender, transformation, and identity.

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