Shot in black and white in a self-reflexive fictional style in which the director and lead actress (Dunye herself) looks into the camera to speak to the audience, She Don't Fade chronicles the ups and downs in the erotic life of Shae Clarke, an African-American lesbian living in Philadelphia. Her adventures are a portrait of everyday life in the city: friendships, work and the act of desiring.
Shot in a variety of formats and techniques (video, 16 mm, animation, high-speed camera...) Me Broni Ba provides a lively portrait of the hairdressing salons in Kumasi (Ghana) whilst delving into the complex legacy of colonialism in Africa. Through voiceover and a series of juxtaposed fragments, we glimpse the story of a girl who emigrates from Ghana to the United States.
In Saddle Sores, Vanalyne Green recounts her experiences of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from a cowboy. This first-person video essay includes archival footage, photographs, Western music, conversations between friends and confessions, going through a state of pathos to arrive at humour and self-knowledge.
She Don't Fade, Cheryl Dunye, 1991, 16 mm, 24 min.
Me Broni Ba (My White Baby), Akosua Adoma Owusu, 2009, 22 min.
Saddle Sores, Vanalyne Green, 1999, video, 20 min.
Digital projection. Copy of She Don't Fade from Electronic Arts Intermix. Copy of Me Broni Ba courtesy of the author. Copy of Saddle Sores from LUX.
