A new documentary is traveling back in time to when Lilith Fair ruled the ’90s!
PEOPLE can exclusively premiere the trailer for the new feature-length documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story.
Directed by Ally Pankiw (I Used to Be Funny), the project tells “the untold story of the groundbreaking music festival featuring only women artists,” which was helmed by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and her team in the late ’90s, according to a press release.
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“I am so proud to be a part of this beautiful doc – especially at what feels like a fitting time to highlight a story of resistance and radical joy in the face of systems that try to keep women and diverse voices small,” said Pankiw, 38, in a statement. “The collaborative effort of this film and what it took to make it mirrors the incredible underdog story of Sarah and her team and how they fought for Lilith to succeed against all odds.”
In the trailer, festival founder McLachlan recalls how promoters telling her that she couldn’t “put two women on the same bill” because people wouldn’t come made her fight back.
“That’s complete bulls—,” the “Angel” singer, 57, says. “And it put a huge fire under my butt to prove them wrong,”
Merri Cyr
In the teaser, Jewel compared Lilith Fair to a “freight train.” “It took on a life of its own,” she recalls.
Later in the trailer, McLachlan recalls receiving a bomb threat. “I’d never seen that kind of anger,” she says.
The documentary details how Lilith Fair was created “in opposition to systematic industry barriers that limited women from playing together on a concert bill and getting back-to-back airplay on the radio,” per the release.
The film is produced with the support of the original Lilith Fair founders: McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser and Marty Diamond.
“I’m so filled with pride and nostalgia watching this film,” said McLachlan in a statement. “Ally and the team have beautifully captured the magic and strength of a community of women who came together and lifted each other up to create positive change in the world. I hope the film resonates with everyone and we can continue to strive to support and champion one another.”
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Inspired by the 2019 joint Vanity Fair and Epic Magazine article, “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair,” written by Jessica Hopper with Sasha Geffen and Jenn Pelly, the documentary was crafted from “over 600 hours of never-before-seen archival footage as well as new interviews and stories from fans, festival organizers, and artists,” per the release.
Featured in the project are interviews from original Lilith Fair artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Paula Cole, Jewel, Mýa, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, and Emmylou Harris and contemporary artists like Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo, who have been inspired by them.
At one point in the trailer, Rodrigo, 22, marvels over “finding out that all of my favorite artists had played at this event.”
“I was in disbelief that I’d never heard of it before,” she exclaims, before sharing how “women singer-songwriters of the ’90s” are her constant “inspiration.”
“They’re my Northern stars,” she adds.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story is out on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ Sept. 21.
