Alexandria Bombach will follow up her award-winning portrait of Nadia Murad, a survivor of the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq who went on to escape sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS, with a tribute to the Indigo Girls. Presented by Impact Partners and produced by Multitude Films, the doc promises an intimate look into the folk-rock duo.
“Although Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have been notoriously private in their over 30-year career, the team has exclusive access – unearthing nearly forty years of video archive that has been locked away in Amy’s basement,” a press release announcing the project details. “The collection of tapes and film reels, captured mostly by herself and her father, documents everything from small bar gigs in the early 80s to late-night TV appearances to non-stop touring in the early 90s. With never-before-seen archival and intimate vérité, the film dives into the songwriting and storytelling of the music that transformed a generation.”
The LGBTQ icons will drop a new album, “Look Long,” on May 22. Their other albums include “Swamp Ophelia,” “Shaming of the Sun,” and “Poseidon and the Bitter Bug,”
“We’re not just women, we’re gay political women that are not super feminine in our dress, so it’s a mixed bag of misogyny and homophobia and sexism,” Ray said in an interview with Charleston Scene earlier this year. “And if you’re a woman of color, it’s even harder. There’s just a limited amount of space, and you feel it all the time.” She added, “Men get a certain respect [as they age]. They’re considered classic. Women artists — it’s a lot different.” While Ray has seen these issues improve since the ’80s, she’s noticed “there’s a backlash every time women start doing better.”
Kathlyn Horan (“Breaking 2”) and Jessica Devaney (“Always in Season”) are producing the doc.
“Indigo Girls are unlike any other band, they mean so much to their fans, and I’m not the first to say their music changed my life. I think a film about these two incredible women is needed right now. I know if it already existed, I’d be watching it,” said Bombach.
Impact Partners’ Jenny Raskin added, “I was so impressed by Alexandria Bombach’s exceptional documentary ‘On Her Shoulders,’ and knew that she would bring her singular visual style and strong moral compass to the story of this incredible duo of musicians. This film is going to be much more than a traditional music bio-pic,” she emphasized, “it will feature emotional depth, socially relevant themes, humor, and of course, the incomparable music of Indigo Girls. Impact Partners is thrilled to partner again with Multitude Films and the Indigo Girls’ long-time collaborator Kathlyn Horan on this film, and to help them produce it independently, mirroring the spirit of independence of the band.”
Bombach took home the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance 2018 for “On Her Shoulders.” Her other credits include “Frame by Frame,” “23 Feet,” and the New York Times Op-Doc “Afghanistan By Choice.”
“Don’t wait for permission to do this work,” Bombach urged when we asked her advice for other women filmmakers. “Hire more women. Get a lawyer upfront. Diversify your mentors, so you can weigh many viewpoints while trusting your gut.”
