Directing

Lowell Pickett

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Lowell Pickett (Cincinnati, 1934–2022)was an American filmmaker, producer, and cinema operator, regarded as one of the pioneers of independent erotic cinema in San Francisco during the late 1960s and early 1970s. After studying at the University of Chicago and the San Francisco Art Institute, Pickett became involved in erotic photography and the Californian counterculture. In 1967, while working with the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, he met Arlene Elster, with whom he founded Leo Productions, an independent company specializing in erotic films, primarily shot on 16 mm. Believing that pornography could serve as a form of artistic expression and a vehicle for sexual liberation, Pickett sought to make films exploring desire, relationships, and sexuality beyond the prevailing moral conventions of the period. Among his early productions was Oona (1970), a sexploitation comedy characterized by improvised performances and the influence of hippie culture. In May 1970, Pickett and Elster opened the Sutter Cinema in San Francisco, a theater dedicated to erotic films that allowed Leo Productions to exhibit its own work independently. That same year, they helped organize the First International Erotic Film Festival, an event intended to promote the cultural and artistic recognition of erotic and pornographic cinema. Throughout the 1970s, Pickett continued making films, gradually moving from softcore sexploitation into hardcore pornography. He also worked for distributor Reuben Sturman under the pseudonyms Artaur Ego and Howard North. After producing numerous films, he eventually left the adult film industry and pursued other business ventures. Alongside contemporaries such as Alex de Renzy and the Mitchell brothers, Pickett played a significant role in the development of San Francisco's early adult film industry. His work reflects a transitional moment in American pornography, when the libertarian ideals of the counterculture intersected with the emergence of a commercially organized hardcore film industry.