Tura Satana was the star of the Russ Meyer cult classic film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! which John Waters once called “the best movie ever made…possibly better than any film that will be made in the future.” Beyond the fame she held for her starring lead role as the badass lesbian gang leader Varla, Satana was a role model for female empowerment, as well as a beloved icon for the gay and lesbian community.
Often referred to as the female Bruce Lee for her karate-wielding, fearless attitude, the actress had to overcome a turbulent personal life. As a child, she spent time in a WWII Japanese relocation camp, and was brutally raped by five men in an alley before the age of ten. That tragic event is the reason she learned martial arts, which became a skill she deserves due recognition, just as much as for her acting. Satana’s father originally taught his young daughter Aikido after she was raped so that she could defend herself, and besides using martial arts as a way to protect herself and others, she eventually sought revenge against her attackers (what the revenge entailed, however, isn’t known). In movies, Satana always performed her own stunts – a rarity in Hollywood, then and now.
TURA!, directed by Cody Jarrett and produced by Jarrett and longtime friend and former Satana manager Siouxzan Perry, is currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign. The film was Tura Satana’s deathbed wish, and Perry, her lifelong confidant, has taken up the project along with her wife Helen Macfarlane (the pair actually met through Satana, which sounds to us like another great story).
“We really need Tura’s fans to get behind this,” says Perry. ” It was her final wish to have this film made, and I promised her I’d do it. Tura taught all women they are perfect just the way they are, and to harness their inner strengths. She was ahead of her time, in many ways.”
“Any kick-ass leading lady you see in movies today? Tura was there first. She blazed the trail for them and deserves recognition for that.” – Director Cody Jarrett
You can watch both the advance trailer for the documentary as well as the crowdfunding video featuring John Waters discussing Satana’s life and legacy.
For more information please contact Tura Satana Productions
TURA! on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TuraSatanaProductions/
TURA! on Twitter: @theturasatana
