The Punk Singer

December 13 – December 19
Mezzanine Lounge Service on Friday, December 13

The Punk Singer
Whenever the early-90s Riot Grrrl movement is mentioned, Olympia’s own Bikini Kill usually tops the list. While just one of several groups that seized the stage to carve out an equal space for women in the punk subculture, Bikini Kill was arguably the seminal Riot Grrrl band, and lead singer Kathleen Hanna, with her volcanic energy and fury, came to epitomize the Riot Grrrl moment for admirers and detractors alike. Post-Bikini Kill, Hanna went on to push boundaries in other projects like Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin, but has been largely absent from the pop culture landscape for the past 8 years. Sini Anderson’s acclaimed documentary, The Punk Singer, explores Hanna’s life, art, and legacy. Combining over 20 years of performance footage and intimate, probing interviews with Hanna, locating her work both within a musical and cultural movement and as part of an individual’s life, Anderson has made a film that does justice to both Hanna and the movement she helped found. Whether your life was changed the first time you heard “I eat your hate like love” or couldn’t tell a Riot Grrrl from a Pussycat Doll, whether you were here back in 1991 at the International Pop Underground or you first encountered “Rebel Girl” on YouTube, you will be inspired, energized, and moved by The Punk Singer.

Dir: Sini Anderson / 2013 / US / 80 min / Digital Cinema