Sisters with Transistors

Director: Lisa Rovner

2021 / 84min

Narrated by Laurie Anderson, Rovner’s superb documentary showcases the music of and rare interviews with female electronic pioneers, such as Clara Rockmore, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram, and demonstrates that these women relished the freedom of electronic music, even as they were discriminated against because of their gender and their chosen medium.

“When doing research on the life of Julius Eastman to make my film, I deplored the lack of visibility of experimental music's female figures. I discovered one year later this 80-minute documentary directed by Lisa Rovner and narrated by Laurie Anderson. Sisters with Transistors is the remarkable untold story of electronic music's female pioneers with a much-needed spotlight on women like Pauline Oliveros and Suzanne Ciani. Oliveros was actually a close friend of Julius Eastman, they collaborated on many pieces.”–Anaïs Ngbanzo