Feminists, We’re Calling You: Support the New Kathleen Hanna Documentary!

Ok, you can find video of Kathleen Hanna singing with her bands all over the web, and she pops up here and there in films, but why hasn’t there actually been a full-length documentary devoted to perhaps the most defining figure of the feminist punk movement? If you’ve been following Kathleen Hanna’s career fervidly over the years, as I have, you can finally get your fix. Sini Anderson, veteran indie feminist and queer filmmaker/activist/poet/renaissance person, has taken the helm of a new project, titled The Punk Singer: The Documentary about Kathleen Hanna. For those not acquainted Hanna’s work, she’s a NY-based artist probably best known for her work in important feminist bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Here’s Hanna at a 2010 performance:

The content of the film is still a closely guarded secret–Anderson will say only that she’s producing it by the skin of her teeth with a little help from her friends. She has just put up a new Kickstarter page to help fund the current stage of the project (which incidentally has a great video teaser for the movie and tons of information about the production).

As Hanna blogged Tuesday,

I know [Sini Anderson’s] the right person, because I know that even if I come off as over dramatic or cocky or even a total jerk, it, for sure, won’t be boring. Every time I get freaked out I think about the documentary about Valentino called The Last Emperor, and in it he comes off as a total primadonna, but, he’s honest and he let himself be seen, truly seen, and that made him loveable and compelling. Sini has made me want to “be seen” in a way I never felt comfortable with before, and that’s a pretty special talent…I’ve only seen the 5 minutes that just got put up, some of which is pretty embarrassing (Spoiler alert: I cry and my chin quavers) but it is shot beautifully and I’m excited to see how it comes out.

Also cool: If you’re able to donate to the project, depending on the amount you give, you can receive one of Hanna’s zines, a signed poster or tickets to a private screening with Hanna and Anderson.

Check it out!

Picture of Hanna and Anderson courtesy of Anderson.

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