(photo credit: Arthur Cohen)

Long before there was a marketplace of women making dirty movies for women, there was Candida Royalle. Just about 25 years ago, Royalle moved from in front of the camera to behind the lens and began creating porn she was interested in watching with her studio, Femme Productions. Considered a rock star by lady porn lovers (including us HM4Her gals), Candida was one of the first to start releasing movies made from a woman’s voice and created with women viewers in mind. Without her vision and perseverance, ‘for women, by women’ porn might never have taken off like it has, and we might not even exist. So thanks, Candida!

Along with being the queen of women’s porn, Royalle wears quite a number of different tiaras, including being the first erotic filmmaker to have been invited to become a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), as well as a celebrated sex toy designer with her Natural Contours line of discreet, high-style toys.

And because Candida was a pioneer of the field and fought on the forefront of female porn, the woman has a lot of wonderful memories and stories! So to let us take a glimpse of the past and experience all Candida has to say, we’ve broken her interview into four parts, complete with some of her personal pictures from other the years!

Look for the four parts of Candida’s interview, posting on Monday’s!

When I got to the agency the guy asked me if I would consider being in an adult movie. I had never even seen one, so, with visions of sleazy motel rooms, sweaty directors and drug-addled performers, I stormed out of the office in a huff… but my boyfriend, a musician, decided he wanted to try it, as did a close girlfriend of mine who became known as “Laurien Dominique” in the business. He ended up getting a lead role in a big budget Anthony Spinelli movie called “Cry for Cindy”, so I decided to visit the set and see what it was really like. I was very surprised to discover that it was all very legit…big crew, attractive cast, scripts, and of course Spinelli was a beloved director who everyone loved working for. So I decided it was a great way for a struggling artist to make some extra money. After all, it was a time of open sexuality, there were no life-threatening diseases, and I always enjoyed performing, so I figured, we make love behind closed doors, why not for others to view and enjoy?

I was in about 25 movies in the course of five years, and while the experience was generally OK, I came to feel that most of the movies were boring, formulaic, not the least bit erotic, and in particular they paid absolutely no attention to what women wanted or were really like in bed. I was in my last movie in 1980. Then, as I wrote articles for various men’s magazines and a really fun expose on my career for “High Times” Magazine when Larry ‘Ratzo’ Sloman was editor, I observed market trends and thought about my next career move. I could tell that, thanks to the woman’s movement, of which I was active when in college, women had received permission to explore their sexuality and were curious to view sexy movies, but there was nothing out there that catered to their tastes. Suddenly home video and cable TV were born and women could watch in the privacy and safety of their homes, but the adult industry wasn’t noticing this untapped market. In my desire to create a new career for myself I decided to take a chance and go with my gut instincts.

With the support and financial backing of my former Swedish in-laws and a little help from my ex-husband who was a very talented and respected young producer in both adult and indie films, I formed Femme Productions in 1984 with a woman named Lauren Niemi who was an erotic photographer from the Midwest, and we set out to create erotic movies that we felt reflected what women like while also appealing to men who would enjoy something besides the standard formulaic porn that dominated the industry. Lauren and I worked together for 3 years, and then I went on to form Femme Distribution, Inc with my husband while continuing to develop the Femme line. He and I separated after 9 years together and I continued to do the international distribution for Femme. After 8 movies I moved over to Adam & Eve who financed 10 more Femme movies and took on the distribution. I’m a free agent now and looking to do something that’s still erotic but even more of a departure from standard adult fare.

2. If you weren’t in the adult industry, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. I’ve had many opportunities and things I like to do that I’m trained in and good at…singing, dancing, performing, illustration, writing…but I’ve never been good at working for and answering to others. I have to be my own boss. So I suspect I would have created some kind of entreprenorial business or maybe gone on to write full time, and considering that I’ve always been political minded and something of a rebel-rouser, it probably would have had a social agenda of some sort, much the way Femme Productions does.

3. What’s the best thing you’ve learned or best advice you’ve received from industry?
I’ve learned that even when you’re faced with a wall of naysayers who view your ideas with skepticism it’s important to follow your gut. If you know something is a good idea don’t let anyone discourage you. Your gut is your best judge and you just might be right.

4. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened while filming?
I’m saving that for my next book!

5. What do you think is the biggest misconception about women in the industry?
Ten years ago I might have answered that the greatest misconception about women in the industry is that they couldn’t possibly choose to be in adult movies for anything but self-destructive reasons, but attitudes have changed quite a bit. That said, I would say that, regardless of all the talk about the ‘mainstreaming of porn’, adult film actresses are still judged harshly. Our culture has a vested interest in condemning women who use their sexuality to their own financial gain. It’s a way of protecting the status quo, the double standard. Women are supposed be the ‘moral arbiters’, the ‘good mothers’, the ones who keep men in line. Women who are sexually empowered are viewed as dangerous. A threat to the institutions of marriage and motherhood. They couldn’t possibly go hand in hand. So it’s important to continue to portray “loose” women as bad or troubled victims or losers so young women don’t strive to follow in their footsteps.

To Be Continued…

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