Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery

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Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery

2025

1h 39m

Documentary

Biography

Music

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100%

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16 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

LILITH FAIR is the story of a group of women who were told their dream was unachievable yet pursued it anyway, and changed music history in the process. It's a story of artists who defied every convention of the music industry, an industry that told them there was only room for one woman at the top. Of how Lilith Fair's camaraderie and a common cause created legendary performances and life-changing concerts for fans. And how the tour rocked American culture, only to have its success obscured, and its lasting legacy largely overlooked, in order to preserve the status quo.

Lisa Weidenfeld

Boston Globe

May 15

The documentary’s most powerful moments come when all of these incredibly successful women talk about the parade of misogyny that greeted the tour.

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Sophie Gilbert

The Atlantic

Oct 2

Lilith Fair is partly adapted from an excellent 2019 Vanity Fair oral history of the festival by Jessica Hopper, Sasha Geffen, and Jenn Pelly, but the documentary has the benefit of being able to draw on raw footage of Lilith’s prize asset: its audience.

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Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

Sep 26

Art only works if it’s shared in community and handed down from older people to younger ones, and it’s at its best when artists get to collaborate. Every night at Lilith Fair ended with an encore in which all the artists went onstage and sang together.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Apr 17

This isn’t a perfect doc by a long stretch (the ending is particularly creaky), but it definitely captures something important about the era.

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Joshua Polanski

Offscreen

Jan 15

Sexuality, race, and even worker rights emerge as important sub-themes to gender equality and, more importantly, celebrating the undertold legacy of Lilith Fair.

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Jason Flatt

But Why Tho?

Dec 27

While there is plenty that feels no different today than it did thirty years ago, the documentary is pure inspiration through female and queer joy.

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Sandra L

@RT83170205 Nov 30

I loved this film and this fair and its purpose! The message was one of sisterhood and empowerment. I wish that I had been able to attend.

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Andy S.

@Gremalor Oct 24

Powerful and incredible. Not only a blast from the past but essential viewing for music lovers and young women. Inspiring.

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Karen F

@foster.karen Oct 20

Essential viewing for all young women! As a teenager in the 90s in Vancouver Canada, I loved to see the old footage and the message is even more relevant today. Good for you Sarah🙏🏻

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Jenny F

@RT81230598 Oct 7

Amazing that they had so much footage from the “camcorder” days. Authentic, great music, wild to see the marginalization of women performers in the day. I had no idea!

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Catherine T

@RT23967084 Oct 5

Ah the memories! I absolutely loved every minute of this film. I was lucky enough to be at Lilith Fair back in 1997, but I still learned so much from watching this movie. It brought back all the feelings — the energy, the spirit, the sense of togetherness — and reminded me just how special that moment in music history really was. The behind-the-scenes stories and interviews added so much depth, and the performances were just as powerful as I remembered. It was beautifully put together from start to finish. I think I’m going to watch it again — it’s that good. (PS: Anne, who went to Lilith Fair with me all those years ago, needs to see this movie too. I know it will bring some flashbacks! ) July 10, 1997, at the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua.

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Kayce C

@RT84311818 Oct 5

I absolutely LOVE this!! This is the playlist of my teens, I was in highschool during The Lilith Fair tour. I love all the talented women who participated, and the message they brought was inspiring & life changing.

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Ally Pankiw

Director

Erykah Badu

Self

Brandi Carlile

Self

Sheryl Crow

Self

Sarah McLachlan

Self

Paula Cole

Self

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Synopsis

LILITH FAIR is the story of a group of women who were told their dream was unachievable yet pursued it anyway, and changed music history in the process. It's a story of artists who defied every convention of the music industry, an industry that told them there was only room for one woman at the top. Of how Lilith Fair's camaraderie and a common cause created legendary performances and life-changing concerts for fans. And how the tour rocked American culture, only to have its success obscured, and its lasting legacy largely overlooked, in order to preserve the status quo.

Director: Ally Pankiw
Producer: Carlene Carrasco Laughlin, Dan Levy, Christina Piovesan
Distributor: Hulu
Production Co: Elevation Pictures, Not a Real Production Company
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2025
Runtime: 1h 39m