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Sarah Jacobson (August 25, 1971 – February 13, 2004) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Also outspoken in their praise were film critic Roger Ebert, filmmaker Allison Anders, and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Ed Halter, writing in the Village Voice, considered I Was A Teenage Serial Killer "a key film of that decade's angrily subversive underground cinema".
Jacobson's films were reviewed in such publications such as The New York Times, The Village Voice, Sight and Sound, and the Los Angeles Times. Clippings from Jacobson's personal papers, which are housed at New York University Fales Library and Special Collections, include interviews of her as well as reviews and commentary on her work from Spin, Bust, Bitch magazine, and Film Threat, among others.
Her low-budget feature film Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore and the grassroots manner in which Jacobson promoted it won her recognition in her specific field. Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore starred Lisa Gerstein and Beth Allen of the band The Loudmouths, whose music—along with that of Babes In Toyland and Mudhoney—is featured in the film. Jello Biafra also appears in a cameo role. Following the release of this film, Jacobson directed videos for the bands Man or Astroman and Fluffy.
With the success of her films, Jacobson was an important champion of the DIY approach to filmmaking and wrote for several publications, including Punk Planet, Grand Royal, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and Indiewire on the topic. She was a contributor to the film zine Joanie4Jackie, a project created by Miranda July to showcase women's independently made and DIY films. Jacobson was also a participant in DiY Fest, a do-it-yourself traveling film festival.
Jacobson was the author of the progressive S.T.I.G.M.A. Manifesto (Sisters Together in Girlie Movie-Making Action).
"Everyone talks about living in the post #MeToo era", said Jacobson's friend Jake Fogelnest. "Here was a woman who made films in the '90s; who was screaming about that stuff in her work and in her life before it became a fashion accessory button at a Hollywood awards ceremony".
Jacobson wrote an unproduced feature-length script titled Sleaze about “an all-girl band on tour in Missoula, Mont., who hook up with the town geek.”
According to the New York Press, Jacobson is reputed to be the "Queen of Underground Cinema".
The Sarah Jacobson Film Grant was set up by Sarah’s longtime friend and collaborator filmmaker Sam Green and annually awards grants to young female and gender-nonconforming directors. The Sarah Jacobson Papers are located in the Fales Library at New York University.
A compilation of Jacobson's films was released on DVD and Blu-ray by the American Genre Film Archive on September 17, 2019.
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