I’m very sad to hear the news that Candida Royalle, a woman I deeply admire and respect, has passed away after a long struggle with ovarian cancer. Candida was an amazing woman, a true pioneer, an artist, an educator.
When I started researching adult cinema, I discovered Candida’s work after reading Hardcore, a book by Berkeley Professor Linda Williams, who praised Candida for her work.
Coming from an artistic background, Candida started to act in adult films in the 70’s. Candida was the first to acknowledge that women are also an audience, not just sexual objects. She had a clear view and a critical mind about chauvinism in adult cinema, because she performed before directing.
She was unhappy about the misogynistic predictability of mainstream porn and started Femme Productions in the early 80’s to create films based on female desires, creating erotica that moved away from tired male-centered cliches. Her pioneering films aimed at women and couples were praised for portraying healthy, realistic depictions of sex. Candida was also working hard to fight the lack of diversity in porn – The Femme Productions films from the “Femme Chocolate” series offered intelligent erotica for a largely undeserved market, featuring a more ethnically diverse cast of actors and actresses, and the films were directed by women of color.
Her work helped opened up adult cinema to women and made them feel comfortable watching adult content. Her films were the first to portray strong and smart female charters, who also were experiencing pleasure. And they were films with narrative values.
As an educator, she wrote the book “How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do,” and she has appeared on numerous talk shows, newspapers and magazines. She was a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, and she was a founding Board member of Feminists for Free Expression (FFE). She also mentored young female directors.
What a woman, what a life, what a body of work. Candida will be sorely missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire and educate us for years to come. Have a glance at her filmography at Lust Cinema…
I am deeply sad for her loss, she had always supported my work and gave me good advice. I will truly miss her.
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