'Punk Singer’ to screen at cinema

Starting tonight at 7, IU Cinema will screen the documentary “the Punk Singer” through this weekend.Tickets are $3 for students

The film focuses on Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of girl band Le Tigre, and her leading role in the Riot Grrl movement.

Riot Grrl culture often aligns with third wave feminism, which spawned in
the 1990s. Through music, Riot Grrl bands made political statements that expressed their views on patriarchy, female sexuality and other issues affecting women.

As one of the larger feminist icons during this time, “the Punk Singer” follows Hanna with 20 years of archival footage and intimate interviews as her role in the movement becomes clearer.

While the film takes viewers on a tour of the contemporary music she produces and writes, it also offers never-before-seen footage of Hanna’s personal life.

As a Riot Grrl leader, she has been described as “always reluctant, but
never shy.”

IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers said they chose the film because it appeals to students with alternative music tastes, while also addressing important social issues.

“Her story is inspiring, in a punk-rock feminist way,” Vickers said.

Vickers said he thought it would run well in conjunction to another film the cinema plans to show later in the semester.

“We also knew that it would make a good companion film for another documentary that we wanted to screen — ‘Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer.’”

It follows the story of Pussy Riot, the Russian punk girl band that made international headlines with their anti-Putin stunts and following imprisonment.

“Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer” is currently on the short-list for an Oscar for Best Documentary.

“The Punk Singer” serves as a historical reminder of how the Riot Grrl movement began.

“She put what she believed on the front line, not afraid of what people would think or do,” Vickers said.