2025 Annual NH Jewish Film Festival

Janis Ian: Breaking Silence (SPECIAL LIMITED VIRTUAL SCREENING)

Expired April 1, 2025 11:00 PM
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This virtual screening is eligible for the Audience Best of the Fest Award. After watching please rate this film. E for Excellent, G for Great, A for Average, BA for Below Average and NG for No Good. Unlock to rate this film
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At the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1960s, teenage singer-songwriter Janis Ian’s hit song about an interracial relationship, “Society’s Child,” launched her career but also ignited controversy. Over the next six decades, Ian jammed with Jimi Hendrix, partied with Janis Joplin, and played duets with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. But she also had to overcome the stigma of her debut, homophobia, record industry misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw large audiences around the globe. With access to Ian’s incredible body of music, as well as family, friends, famed collaborators, and music journalists, this in-depth documentary balances the intimacy of a home movie against a sweeping historical and contemporary context.



When you purchase your ticket for Janis Ian: Breaking Silence you will also be invited for the FREE LIVE Zoom Discussion with Director Varda Bar-Kar

April 1 at 7:00 PM. The information for the Zoom Discussion will be in your order confirmation email.


This film is in the competition for the Audience Best Documentary Film of the Fest Award.

Please cast your ballot after viewing the film.


  • Year
    2024
  • Runtime
    104 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    NH Premiere
  • Genre
    Documentary
  • Content Warning
    Adult Content
  • Director
    Varda Bar-Kar
  • Screenwriter
    Varda Bar-Kar
  • Producer
    Varda Bar-Kar , Pierre Hauser
  • Executive Producer
    Gloria Ann Evans, Michael Kantor,Pierre Hauser
  • Co-Producer
    Alessandra Pasquino, Brooke Wentz
  • Filmmaker
    Varda Bar-Kar
  • Cast
    Janis Ian
  • Cinematographer
    Matthew Steven Wilder
  • Editor
    Ryan Larkin
  • Composer
    Janis Ian