ROCKLAND — The Criterion Series, a monthly film series sponsored by The Criterion Collection, continues with a screening of The Watermelon Woman (1996) on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 1 p.m., at the Strand Theatre. Criterion Series films are hosted in person by TCM (Turner Classic Movies) film presenter and Strand Board Member Alicia Malone.

“The wry, incisive debut feature by Cheryl Dunye gave cinema something bracingly new and groundbreaking: a vibrant representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker,” said the Strand, in a news release.

Dunye stars as Cheryl, a video-store clerk and aspiring director whose interest in forgotten Black actresses leads her to investigate an obscure 1930s performer known as the Watermelon Woman, whose story proves to have surprising resonances with Cheryl’s own life as she navigates a new relationship with a white girlfriend (Guinevere Turner).

“Balancing breezy romantic comedy with a serious inquiry into the history of Black and queer women in Hollywood, The Watermelon Woman slyly rewrites long-standing constructions of race and sexuality on-screen, introducing an important voice in American cinema,” said the release.

The Criterion Collection was established in 1984, with a mission to preserve important classic and independent films from around the world and making them available to watch in analog and digital formats.

Tickets are $8/Matinee Admission, $7/Strand Members, and will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.

For more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com or call (207) 594-0070 EX 3.

The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main St., Rockland.