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About

Anita Rosenberg (born June 29, 1957) is an American film director best known for the cult films, Assault of the Killer Bimbos (1988) and Modern Girls (1986).

Career

An alumna of the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA) and New York University Graduate Film School (MFA), Anita Rosenberg moved to Los Angeles in 1982 to become a filmmaker.

Her films revolve around female protagonists. Modern Girls which she wrote and produced, is considered the big sister to Sixteen Candles and the other Brat Pack movies of the 1980s. Unlike the majority of the eighties comedies, Modern Girls featured three young women in their twenties and was based on Rosenberg’s real-life experiences in the Los Angeles club scene. Shot on location throughout Los Angeles, the film starred Virginia Madsen, Daphne Zuniga, and Cynthia Gibb. The hip and stylized Indie film was produced by Atlantic Releasing with a popular Warner Bros. soundtrack featuring Depeche Mode.

Anita Rosenberg’s directorial debut, Assault of the Killer Bimbos, starred Nick Cassavetes and Griffin O’Neal. Empire Pictures offered her the provocative title and asked her to come up with a movie. The story of go-go dancers on the run, framed for a murder they did not commit was inspired by Roger Corman’s exploitation films and Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! Rosenberg turned the “bimbo” title into a spoof where the heroines are only bimbos because men call them that. Adhering to the male-centric comedy market of the production company, Rosenberg gave the film a more “girls against the world” feminist slant With a female director, female leads, and at least fifty percent female crew, Assault of the Killer Bimbos, drew media attention. The film was favorably reviewed by major critics such as Leonard Maltin, Roger Ebert, and Marilyn Beck. Rosenberg was awarded “Best Direction in Depiction of Women” by syndicated film critic Joe Bob Briggs who was also one of many reviewers comparing her low-budget cult classic to the hit film Thelma and Louise.

Anita Rosenberg’s perseverance as a female film director in a male-dominated industry and her depiction of women struggling to establish their independence in 1980s Los Angeles was reflected in the comedic nature of her movies. She made the most of the opportunities presented during her time in the film industry and has earned a spot in B-Movie archives – even making Leonard Maltin’s list of favorite films in 2002. Rosenberg is currently working on a book called How To Be The Star Of Your Life — Lessons Learned From Hollywood which will be published in January 2024 by Heliotrope Books.