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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

Play trailer 2:35 Poster for Janis Ian: Breaking Silence Now Playing 1h 54m Documentary Music Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote "Society's Child" about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian's career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin--and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, "At Seventeen." Over six decades, Janis Ian gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song "Stars" recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe. Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.
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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

Critics Reviews

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Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht The music is amazing, and Ian’s story, while unheralded, is fantastic. Mar 28, 2025 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Insightful, but conventional, overlong and by-the-numbers. Mar 26, 2025 Full Review Peter Keough Arts Fuse As seen in Varda Bar-Kar’s edifying but frustrating Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, the pop singer of the title was exposed early on to the kind of homophobia she could expect from show business, the media, and the general public throughout her career. Nov 20, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Varda Bar-Kar

Director

Janis Ian

Self

Joan Baez

Self

Lily Tomlin

Self

Jean Smart

Self

Laurie Metcalf

Self
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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote "Society's Child" about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian's career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin--and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, "At Seventeen." Over six decades, Janis Ian gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song "Stars" recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe. Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.
Director
Varda Bar-Kar
Producer
Varda Bar-Kar, Alessandra Pasquino, Brooke Wentz
Screenwriter
Varda Bar-Kar, Pierre Hauser
Distributor
Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co
Wild Rose Pictures, GroundStorm Media, American Masters Entertainment
Genre
Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 28, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 29, 2025
Runtime
1h 54m
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