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The Punk Singer

Play trailer Poster for The Punk Singer Released Nov 29, 2013 1h 21m Documentary Biography Music Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 68 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Filmmaker Sini Anderson explores the life and career of punk rocker Kathleen Hanna, the Bikini Kill frontwoman who became a pioneer of the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s.

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The Punk Singer

The Punk Singer

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Critics Consensus

It verges on hagiography, but given the deeply compelling nature of its subject's story, The Punk Singer can be forgiven its lack of objectivity.

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Critics Reviews

View All (68) Critics Reviews
Stef Schwartz Autostraddle What was most refreshing, though, was getting to see sides of Hanna's personality that aren't always immediately apparent from interviews and stage banter. Jun 14, 2021 Full Review Laina Dawes Bitch Media In terms of providing a historical narrative of the Riot Grrl scene, The Punk Singer does an adequate, yet rushed job within an 80-minute film. Jan 15, 2021 Full Review Alexandra Heller-Nicholas The Blue Lenses While exciting for the sheer range of archival visual material it employs to tell Hanna's story, The Punk Singer is even more significant for capturing just how relevant the ideological pulse of Riot Grrrl is today. Aug 25, 2018 Full Review Brent McKnight The Last Thing I See What the "The Punk Singer" does best is capture the excitement, passion, and the conviction that is still evident on those records, and that you saw at those live shows. Rated: A- Jul 9, 2020 Full Review Bernard Boo Way Too Indie Hanna is shining symbol of feminist activism, ungodly perseverance, and artistic originality, and The Punk Singer captures her life and career to this point terrifically. Rated: 8.3/10 Apr 9, 2019 Full Review Leigh Clark CineVue The Punk Singer is a rewarding and positive experience. Rated: 4/5 Mar 21, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (57) audience reviews
Jared I would recommend this to anyone in the punk scene IT IS AMAZING 10/10 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/23 Full Review Georgan G Not being a punk rock lover Kathleen Hanna was new to me. And what a woman! It was her feminism that really got me, however. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Audience Member An intimate and fascinating documentary about Bikini Kill lead singer and feminist activist Kathleen Hanna. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Conventional documentary that's probably very interesting if you are aware of the singer, less so if not. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member I had listened to Bikini Kill in the 90's but really didn't pay much attention. Hanna's story unfolds chronologically and gains momentum as it progresses. In the end you feel how stromg and beautiful she truly is. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good documentary. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Punk Singer

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Sini Anderson explores the life and career of punk rocker Kathleen Hanna, the Bikini Kill frontwoman who became a pioneer of the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s.
Director
Sini Anderson
Producer
Sini Anderson, Gwen Bialic, Tamra Davis
Distributor
IFC Films
Genre
Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 29, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$121.4K
Runtime
1h 21m
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