The Cinema of Stephanie Rothman: Radical Acts in Filmmaking

This is deep dive into Stephanie Rothman’s career as a director and oft-forgotten groundbreaking visionary of 1970s indie filmmaking illuminates the intersection of economic justice and progressive filmmaking. Readers intrigued by the retrospect of the second wave of exploitation in the 1970s and gender disparities will find Kozma’s (dir., Indiana Univ. Cinema) analysis of Rothman fascinating. Among the films Rothman wrote and directed (mostly for Roger Corman) are The Student Nurses, The Velvet Vampire, and Terminal Island. The statistics alone are eye-opening: of the top 1,300 films between 2015 and 2019, only 6.8 percent were directed by women. This book about Rothman’s films attempts to answer why those victimized by a male-dominated industry are held responsible for changing the same system that disregards their art and authority. While this book is perhaps too niche at times for general readers of feminist nonfiction, the highlighted films and history are likely to invoke introspection and women’s empowerment.