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Sisters with Transistors

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Sisters with Transistors
Directed byLisa Rovner
Produced byAnna Vaney
Marcus Werner Hed
StarringLaurie Anderson
CinematographyBill Kirstein
Music byQuinn Tsan, Alexander Babbitt
Distributed byMetrograph Pictures, Aspect Ratio
Release date
  • 17 October 2020 (2020-10-17) (AFI Film Festival)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States

Sisters with Transistors is a 2020 documentary film directed by Lisa Rovner in her directorial debut.[1][2][3] It premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival and was later screened at AFI Fest. The rights to the documentary were acquired by Metrograph Pictures.[4]

Synopsis

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The documentary is made up of rare testimonies and archive footage. It chronicles the stories of the pioneering but little-known women of electronic music. These composers found, thanks to machines, a space of liberty and creativity that the male-dominated world of traditional music did not allow them. The film takes us into the heart of their studio-laboratories, and into a tangle of multicolored cables, tape scraps, primitive computers and oversized synthesizers. Narrated by Laurie Anderson, the ten artists featured in the documentary are Maryanne Amacher, Bebe Barron, Suzanne Ciani, Delia Derbyshire, Pauline Oliveros, Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Clara Rockmore, Wendy Carlos and Laurie Spiegel.[5][6][7]

Reception

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Sisters with Transistors was positively received by critics.[8][9] Rogerebert.com's Charlie Brigden gave it four stars and noted that the documentary "often feels less like a film and more like a manifesto". The narrative, futuristic soundtrack and avant-garde aspect of the film were all highly praised.[10] The New York Times' Glenn Kenny described the film as "informative" and "fascinating.[11] Critics at NME and Slate also gave the documentary four stars and positive reviews.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 21, 2021). "Amplifying the Women Who Pushed Synthesizers Into the Future". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ "Sisters With Transistors: inside the fascinating film about electronic music's forgotten pioneers". The Guardian. April 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "'Sisters with Transistors' explores innovations of electronic music's unsung female pioneers". KCRW. 10 May 2021.
  4. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2021-02-08). "Metrograph Pictures Lands Electronic Music Doc 'Sisters With Transistors' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  5. ^ "Sisters With Transistors review – a gloriously geeky music doc". The Guardian. 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  6. ^ Shaffer, Claire (2021-04-29). "'Sisters With Transistors': A Brief History of Electronic Music's Unsung Pioneers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  7. ^ "Sisters With Transistors: inside the fascinating film about electronic music's forgotten pioneers". The Guardian. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  8. ^ Sisters with Transistors, retrieved 2022-02-05
  9. ^ "Review: 'Sisters With Transistors': Breaking barriers with electronic sounds". Los Angeles Times. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  10. ^ Brigden, Charlie. "Sisters with Transistors movie review (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  11. ^ Kenny, Glenn (2021-04-22). "'Sisters With Transistors' Review: How Women Pioneered Electronic Music". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  12. ^ Greene, Wes (2021-04-18). "Review: Sisters with Transistors Pays Thrilling Tribute to Unsung Heroines". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  13. ^ "'Sisters With Transistors' review: music's forgotten female electro pioneers". NME. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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