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.
Picture of Hanna and Anderson courtesy of Anderson.