Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the intellectual and radical force behind the original women’s rights movement for over fifty years, but when she published a feminist critique of the Bible, she was publicly censured by the organization she founded for allegedly damaging the cause of suffrage. Based on research drawn from multiple sources, all in the public domain, Elizabeth Cady Stanton - The First Suffragist is a moving, funny and inspirational biopic about an American hero who improved the lives of millions of women.

"Elizabeth Cady Stanton - The First Suffragist" made the second round (top 20%) in the Nicholl Fellowship Competition in 2018.

"Elizabeth Cady Stanton - The First Suffragist" made the second round (top 15%) in the Drama genre in the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competitions in 2018 and 2016.

SYNOPSIS:

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON - THE FIRST SUFFRAGIST by Arlaine Rockey

This script made the top 20% in the 2018 Nicholl Fellowship screenplay competition and the second round (top 15%) in the Drama genre in the Austin Screenwriting Competition in 2016.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the intellectual and radical force behind the original women’s rights movement for over fifty years, but when she published a feminist critique of the Bible, she was publicly censured by the organization she founded for allegedly damaging the cause of suffrage. Based on research drawn from multiple sources including works in the public domain, Elizabeth Cady Stanton - The First Suffragist is a moving, funny and inspirational biopic about an American hero who improved the lives of millions of women.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton held the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, where she was the first person to publicly demand the right to vote for women. She was the closest friend and cohort of Susan B. Anthony but was overshadowed by her in history. This film would be the first biopic of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton is my personal hero. I was inspired by her perseverance within her movement when I was leading the struggle to rid North Carolina of the marital rape exemption. I am a trial attorney with a national practice, but my passion is writing. This is my seventh script. I completed the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting in 2013. I had a lesbian psychological legal thriller, Madness & Lies, place in the top 15% in Nicholl's twice, a teen romantic black comedy, My Dead BFF, place in the top 15% in the Austin Screenwriting Contest in 2015, and All my loglines are on my website along with some reader comments.

This film is not only important, it is timely. Hillary Clinton's nomination to be our first female President has brought renewed attention to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Seneca Falls convention, which is the break into Act II in my script. Further, 2020 will be the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.

I spent over a year researching and writing this screenplay and used many original sources, including her autobiography, letters and speeches (all in the public domain). The script is filled with famous abolitionists and feminists, such as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, and Amelia Bloomer. I believe I have brought Elizabeth Cady Stanton to life, and she deserves her rightful place in history.