Sisters in the Life: A History of Out African American Lesbian Media-Making

This scholarly anthology, edited by filmmakers Welbon (founder, Sisters in Cinema) and Juhasz (film chair, Brooklyn Coll., City Univ. New York; coeditor, A Companion to Contemporary Documentary Film) details the history of African American lesbian filmmakers. The importance of this group has not been fully examined before this pivotal work; their achievements underrecognized in African American, women's, and queer cinema. Offering a comprehensive overview of the subject, with essays arranged chronologically from 1986 to 1995 and 1996 to 2016, the anthology describes how community support prompted many of the women to tell their stories. There are detailed examinations of Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman (1997); Dee Rees's Pariah (2011), and interviews with filmmakers such as Pamela L. Jennings and Coquie Hughes. There are also essays on Shari Frilot, Angela Robinson, Shine Louise Houston, and Tina Mabry.