26.02.2026 – 19:00 – The Queer Image #11 x Black History Month

Cheryl Dunye not only wrote, directed, and edited the groundbreaking The Watermelon Woman, but also took on the lead role. In this first feature film directed by a black lesbian, she plays a 25-year-old African-American lesbian woman who works with her girlfriend Tamara in a video store in Philadelphia.

“The Watermelon Woman celebrates it’s 30th anniversary. What is it’s significance within The Culture? How has the cinematic and artistic landscape of Black and queer imagery progressed, digressed or changed? And what is the necessity of examining, archiving and (re)imagining the Black Queer Image in and outside of the current political and social climate? In this programme we explore these questions and the dreams beyond binaries the system provides us with.” – Clarice M.D. Gargard

Dunye is interested in cinema from the 1930s and 1940s. When she discovers Fae Richards, a black actress who was known at the time for playing stereotypical “mammy” roles, she decides to make a documentary in which she attempts to uncover the identity of this woman and her own. The Watermelon Woman is considered a milestone in the New Queer Cinema movement and won a Teddy Award after its premiere in Berlin. The evening will be curated and presented by Clarice Gargard, journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker, who recently published the acclaimed book Na verzet komt (r)evolutie (After Resistance Comes (R)evolution), about sparking personal and social (r)evolution.

Bio mo Futures:

mo a visual artist, writer & time-traveler whose practice moves through, from, with & beyond Archives, in order to build worlds away from a here or now. These worlds are dreamy, joyful, wayward spaces showcasing Black queer and trans existence in western europe in different forms. Often combining vernacular photo- and videography, (self) portraiture, writing, collages, multi-media installations and more — an experimental, d.i.y., future-archive that serves as an offering for generations to come.

Bio Clarice Gargard:

Clarice M.D. Gargard (Phil­a­delphia, 1988) is a journalist, writer, documentary filmmaker, and organizer who combines journalism, art, social justice, philosophy, and mysticism. In 2025, her new acclaimed book After Resistance Comes (R)evolution was published.

Bio Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva:

Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva is a film curator and photographer. Lyse is currently based in Belgium where she founded Recognition in 2016. Recognition is a Brussels-based initiative with the aim of increasing the visibility of African and African diaspora art, literature and culture via community-based film screenings. Lyse currently works at IFFR as a programmer for Features & Short films. Previously, she was a film consultant for the Berlinale Forum.

The Queer Image is a collaboration between Nieuwe Vide and Schuur Haarlem. Read more about The Queer Image here. Please note that most of these programs are presented in English to accommodate our international community.

*We offer a discount for our queer community – Ticket 6,75 : THEQUEERIMAGE