Shoes

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Gender

Female

Birthday

1966-05-13

Place of Birth

Monrovia, Liberia

Cheryl Dunye

Biography

Cheryl Dunye (born May 13, 1966) is a film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye is a lesbian and her work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians.

Known for

Hollywood Black

Hollywood Black

The epic story of the actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera and on the screen. From blackface to Black Panther, this series is a definitive chronicle of more than a century of the black experience in Hollywood and a powerful reexamination of a quintessentially American story – in brilliant color.

Mansfield 66/67

Mansfield 66/67

About the last two years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield’s life and the speculation swirling around her untimely death being caused by a curse after her alleged romantic dalliance with Anton LaVey, head of the Church of Satan.

Hooters!

Hooters!

“Hooters!” explores lesbian culture, with humor, insight, and artistry, through the collaborative film making process used in Cheryl Dunye’s new seminal film, “The Owls”.

Mommy Is Coming

Mommy Is Coming

With things growing a bit stale in the bedroom, lesbian couple Claudia and Dylan agree to seek sexual experiences outside their relationship. Dylan discovers new pleasures at a sex club, while Claudia, in drag as Claude, finds a surprising partner.

Dykes, Camera, Action!

Dykes, Camera, Action!

The film examines the ways that women directors have contributed to this genre and emphasizes the role that the media play in representation of sexuality and gender, underscoring the power that film has to shape our perceptions of one another. Visually, this documentary comes to life on screen through compelling and intimate original interviews, intercut with emotionally-charged archival footage, photographs, ephemera, inspired music, and film clips.

Strange Weather

Strange Weather

A quartet of crack addicts in Miami sit around, while outside, the biggest hurricane of the century is about to hit. The Pixelvision camera roams restlessly through the apartment, focusing nervously on the tiniest details, but never staying in any one spot for very long. Meanwhile, the addicts engage in desultory conversation, or make phone calls, or tell stories about their past experiences.

Sex Fish

Sex Fish

A euphoric lesbian sex video features a group of women in a frenzy of erotic scenes with poetry, slowly dripping water, fancy goldfish, and an ecstatic score by Sheila Chandra. Experimenting with pro-sex feminist media practices and pornography, Sex Fish was made as a collaboration known as E.T. Baby Mania.

The Watermelon Woman

The Watermelon Woman

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

Janine

Janine

The story of a black lesbian's relationship with a white, upper middle class high school girl.

The Potluck and the Passion

The Potluck and the Passion

Sparks fly as racial, sexual and social politics intermingle at a lesbian potluck.

She Don't Fade

She Don't Fade

She Don't Fade chronicles the sexual pursuits of Shae Clarke, an African American lesbian. Clarke, played by Dunye herself, defines and readily demonstrates her "new approach to women."

Vanilla Sex

Vanilla Sex

A short exploring what the term ‘Vanilla Sex’ means in black and queer communities through Polaroid photographs.

The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye

The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye

GREETINGS FROM AFRICA (Narrative, 1994) Cheryl, playing herself, humorously experience the mysteries of lesbian dating in the 90s / THE POTLUCK AND THE PASSION (Experimental Narrative, 1993) Sparks fly as racial, sexual and social politics intermingle at a lesbian potluck / AN UNTITLED PORTRAIT (Video Montage, 1993) Dunye’s relationship with her brother is examined in this mixture of appropriated film footage, super 8mm home movies & Dunye’s special brand of humor. / VANILLA SEX (Experimental Documentary, 1992)Is it who you do, or what you do? / SHE DON’T FADE (Experimental Narrative, 1991) A self-reflexive look at the sexuality of a young black lesbian / JANINE (Experimental Documentary, 1990) The story of a black lesbian’s relationship with a white, upper middle class high school girl

The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye

The Early Works of Cheryl Dunye

GREETINGS FROM AFRICA (Narrative, 1994) Cheryl, playing herself, humorously experience the mysteries of lesbian dating in the 90s / THE POTLUCK AND THE PASSION (Experimental Narrative, 1993) Sparks fly as racial, sexual and social politics intermingle at a lesbian potluck / AN UNTITLED PORTRAIT (Video Montage, 1993) Dunye’s relationship with her brother is examined in this mixture of appropriated film footage, super 8mm home movies & Dunye’s special brand of humor. / VANILLA SEX (Experimental Documentary, 1992)Is it who you do, or what you do? / SHE DON’T FADE (Experimental Narrative, 1991) A self-reflexive look at the sexuality of a young black lesbian / JANINE (Experimental Documentary, 1990) The story of a black lesbian’s relationship with a white, upper middle class high school girl

An Untitled Portrait

An Untitled Portrait

Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye's relationship with her brother is examined in this mixture of appropriated film footage, Super 8mm home movies, and Dunye's special brand of humor.