Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over
Directed by Beth B
Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over by Beth B is the first career-spanning documentary retrospective of Lydia Lunch’s confrontational, acerbic and always electric artistry. As New York City’s preeminent No Wave icon from the late 70’s, Lunch has forged a lifetime of music and spoken word performance devoted to the utter right of any woman to indulge, seek pleasure, and to raise voice in a rage as loud as any man. The film frames Lunch’s work through the lens of the various philosophical themes that have obsessed her for years to enlighten and empower women to voice the unheard and to break the cycle of violence toward women throughout the world. Lydia Lunch is the psycho sexual transgressive who revoked patriarchal expectations of what a female performer might mean, while forging a vocabulary of rare emotional honesty, philosophy and humor.
Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over includes interviews with Lydia Lunch and longtime collaborators and colleagues including: Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth; performance artist Kembra Pfahler; Teenage Jesus bass player, Jim Sclavunos; Donita Sparks from L7; famed DJ and musician Nicolas Jaar; Art Critic Carlo McCormick; Filmmaker Richard Kern and a long list of other groundbreaking artists connected to Lunch’s past and present. Filming in rehearsal and on tour with her band Retrovirus, the behind-the-scenes footage reveals a side of Lunch’s personality that has been unseen. Her warmth and generosity in private interactions along with hilarious banter in the rehearsal studio with band members contrasts wonderfully with her brash, assaultive style of performance. The film is not only about Lunch, but about the scene that she helped spawn, continues to grow and influence, and the creative people who join her in creating a new vision of woman.
Reviews More Reviews
"Critic's Pick! Vigorous... shows her mastery of live performance and also highlights her very urban sense of sarcasm; sometimes she suggests no-wave’s answer to Fran Lebowitz."
“A wild and impactful... portrait of a punk rock priestess."
“A truly extraordinary artist.”
“She’s a legend in her own right.”
“Always a provocateur, occasionally a chanteuse, frequently a nihilist, Lydia Lunch performs unapologetically with the instincts of a predator."
"Lunch’s defiantly unfashionable sort of feminism is the main point of interest in this documentary. Viewers will... marvel at a woman who, at 60, seems just as fierce as she was 40 years ago."
“This in-your-face documentary, which was made with Lunch’s participation, shows how she’s been able to survive on her wits and attitude, while being an underrated influence on her peers and subsequent generations of punk-influenced music artists.”
Press & Exhibitors
Below please find additional information and promotional materials for this film. Use the buttons on the left to request to book this film for theatrical or educational/community screenings.
For all press requests, please contact us at [email protected].
Technical Info
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Color: Color and B&W
Press & Promotion:
playdates
Venue | City | State | Date |
---|---|---|---|
ACME Screening Room | Lambertville | NJ | 1624852800June 28 - September 24, 2021 |
Alexander Valley Film Society | Cloverdale | CA | 1625025600June 30 - September 24, 2021 |
Amherst Cinema | Amherst | MA | 1626321600July 15 - August 26, 2021 |
ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks | Bethlehem | PA | 1624939200June 29 - September 24, 2021 |
Belcourt Theatre | Nashville | TN | 1631505600September 13 - September 14, 2021 |
Brattle Theatre | Cambridge | MA | 1622865600June 5 - October 1, 2021 |
Cinema Arts Centre | Huntington | NY | 1626148800July 13 - September 24, 2021 |
Cleveland Cinematheque | Cleveland | OH | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
Denver Film / Sie FilmCenter | Denver | CO | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
Digital Gym Cinema | San Diego | CA | 1626148800July 13 - September 24, 2021 |
Downing Film Center | Newburgh | NY | 1624334400June 22 - September 24, 2021 |
Film Society of Summit | Summit | NJ | 1626926400July 22 - September 24, 2021 |
Film Streams | Omaha | NE | 1625025600June 30 - September 24, 2021 |
Guild Cinema | Albuquerque | NM | 1626667200July 19 - August 31, 2021 |
Hollywood Theatre | Portland | OR | 1626321600July 15 - August 27, 2021 |
IFC Center | New York | NY | 1622865600June 5 - July 30, 2021 |
Indie Memphis | Memphis | TN | 1624852800June 28 - September 24, 2021 |
International Film Series | Boulder | CO | 1626148800July 13 - September 24, 2021 |
Laemmle Theatres | Los Angeles | CA | 1627963200August 3 - September 24, 2021 |
Landmark Nuart Theatre | Los Angeles | CA | 1623816000June 16 - August 6, 2021 |
Lumiere Cinema | Los Angeles | CA | 1627963200August 3 - August 20, 2021 |
Music Box Theatre | Chicago | IL | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
O Cinema | Miami Beach | FL | 1624939200June 29 - September 24, 2021 |
PhilaMOCA | Philadelphia | PA | 1627963200August 3 - August 11, 2021 |
Plaza Theatre | Atlanta | GA | 1623816000June 16 - July 23, 2021 |
Roxie Theater | San Francisco | CA | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
SNF Parkway Theatre | Baltimore | MD | 1626926400July 22 - September 24, 2021 |
Sound Unseen | Minneapolis | MN | 1626321600July 15 - August 12, 2021 |
Sun-Ray Cinema | Jacksonville | FL | 1626148800July 13 - July 23, 2021 |
Texas Theatre | Dallas | TX | 1626148800July 13 - July 18, 2021 |
The Apohadion Theater x SPACE | Portland | ME | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
The Frida Cinema | Santa Ana | CA | 1628222400August 6 - August 20, 2021 |
The Loft Cinema | Tucson | AZ | 1625025600June 30 - September 24, 2021 |
Varsity Theatre | Davis | CA | 1626926400July 22 - September 24, 2021 |
VIFF Centre | Vancouver | BC | 1624507200June 24 - September 24, 2021 |
Violet Crown Charlottesville | Charlottesville | VA | 1631160000September 9 - September 10, 2021 |
WFMU | Jersey City | NJ | 1624334400June 22 - September 24, 2021 |
Winnipeg Cinematheque | Winnipeg | MB | 1623816000June 16 - October 1, 2021 |
Zeitgeist Theatre | Arabi | LA | 1625716800July 8 - September 24, 2021 |