Watermelon Man

Jeff lives in the suburbs with his family, blissfully ignorant of the racial tensions of the times. One morning, he wakes up in the skin of a Black man. Incredulous, he tries by any means necessary to go back to being white. Jeff’s horror turns to despair when he realises the change is permanent and that his daily life from now on will be marked by prejudice. Featuring a Black actor in whiteface, Watermelon Man is a satire not only of racism in American society, but also of discrimination in the film industry itself. Ironically, this would be the only film that Van Peebles made in a Hollywood studio.