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Varda Bar-Kar’s documentary, “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” invites us not merely to observe a life, but to confront the dissonant echoes of a voice that chose, from its inception, to articulate the uncomfortable. Janis Ian emerges less as a folk singer and more as a conduit for those societal fractures we often prefer to ignore, her career a long, unblinking gaze into the abyss of human experience.

The film itself, a chronicle spanning precocious youth to the stark silencing of a seasoned artist, charts a course through decades of creation and tribulation. Ian’s celebrated candor, the film suggests, was never simple honesty; it was a necessary rebellion, a giving-voice to the shadows, forcing a reckoning with the often-bleak truths she so unflinchingly translated into song. The work beckons one into a space where music becomes a philosophical inquiry into the very nature of being.

A Voice Forged in...

Singer-songwriter-musician Janis Ian celebrates her 74th birthday today.

For most of those years, 60 of them in fact, she has been famous, having rocketed to renown at age 14 with her precocious debut single “Society’s Child,” a song about what was at the time the very taboo subject of an interracial romance. As she enters her mid-70s, Ian is the focus of the new documentary Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, a film directed by Varda Bar-Kar that charts the remarkable trajectory of her life and career.

Bar-Kar (Fandango at the Wall) says the inspiration to make the film came after a period of personal reflection.

Janis Ian and director Varda-Bar-Kar on March 28, 2025 in New York City

“I started to think about my own identity and whether I feel represented in film and media. And I decided that I don’t,” she explained at a Q&a following a showing of the...

Even if you don’t count yourself has a diehard Janis Ian fan, the singer-songwriter’s songs, such as her 1967 hit “Society’s Child,” when they appear in Varda Bar-Kar’s compelling bio-doc, Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, will strike a memory chord, so ubiquitous they have been across radio playlists for more than half a century. It’s a real strength of Bar-Kar’s film, which is organized around several of Ian’s most memorable albums, including the eponymous 1993 release, that she weaves these compositions into a rich fabric that places Ian’s personal life story — her coming out, her relationship with and 2003 marriage […]

The post “The Biggest Challenge Was That Janis Has Led an Incredibly Interesting and Varied Life”: Director Varda Bar-Kar on Janis Ian: Breaking Silence first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Even if you don’t count yourself has a diehard Janis Ian fan, the singer-songwriter’s songs, such as her 1967 hit “Society’s Child,” when they appear in Varda Bar-Kar’s compelling bio-doc, Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, will strike a memory chord, so ubiquitous they have been across radio playlists for more than half a century. It’s a real strength of Bar-Kar’s film, which is organized around several of Ian’s most memorable albums, including the eponymous 1993 release, that she weaves these compositions into a rich fabric that places Ian’s personal life story — her coming out, her relationship with and 2003 marriage […]

The post “The Biggest Challenge Was That Janis Has Led an Incredibly Interesting and Varied Life”: Director Varda Bar-Kar on Janis Ian: Breaking Silence first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The hit series 9-1-1: Lone Star recently came to an end, but the franchise will be moving forward with another spinoff series to fill the empty void that's created. This time, the show will be focusing on emergency responders working in Tennessee.

Per Deadline, it's been revealed that a new show, 9-1-1: Nashville, is coming to ABC for the 2025-26 season. It was previously reported that a new 9-1-1 offshoot was in development, though details weren't confirmed about its location. Currently, no information is known about the plot of the new series beyond its setting in Nashville, and no cast members have been announced. It can be presumed that a team of first responders will be at the heart of the story.

RelatedDoes Owen Die in 9-1-1: Lone Star's Season 5 Finale?

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Say what you want about Ryan Murphy, but he always seems to be thinking about the best way to make his television empire thrive. Before today, there was no indication that his popular procedural series 9-1-1 and his newest endeavor, Doctor Odyssey, shared a universe, but that's all set to change as the worlds of his two ABC series are about to collide.

Per Variety, 9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey will cross over in a special episode of the latter that will see Angela Bassett's character, Athena Grant from 9-1-1, head over to the cruise ship on Doctor Odyssey led by Joshua Jackson's Dr. Max Bankman. Doctor Odyssey focuses on a different themed cruise in each episode, and this particular crossover event will take place during Casino Week on the ship, which will see Bassett's Athena suspecting two passengers of trying to Ocean's 11 the ship's vault.

"The little woman wrote giant works of art." Greenwich Ent, has revealed the official trailer for a music biopic documentary film titled Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, made by doc filmmaker Varda Bar-Kar. This first premiered at Doc NYC last year and opens in US theaters at the end of March this spring. The life and songbook of Janis Ian mirrored the awakening of American women in the 1960s & '70s, as they found their voices and embraced their power during this time of change. In the 1960s, as a teenager, acclaimed American singer-songwriter Janis Ian used to jam with Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village bars and partied with Janis Joplin, who jokingly called herself "the other Janis." She later befriended Bruce Springsteen as they simultaneously recorded albums at the same studio. In the 80s, she played duets with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson in Nashville. She lived the adventurous life of a rock star.

Exclusive: As NBC prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, it’s interesting to recall the show’s second official musical guest – singer-songwriter Janis Ian. On October 11, 1975, she riveted the audience with a performance of her smash hit “At 17,” a ballad of high school heartbreak and rejection.

The full breadth of Ian’s life and career is explored in the documentary Janis Ian: Breaking Silence directed by Varda Bar-Kar (Fandango at the Wall). Today, Greenwich Entertainment announced it has acquired U.S. rights to the film, with plans to release it theatrically on March 28.

The film, a Wild Rose Pictures production in association with Groundstorm Media and American Masters Pictures, will make its broadcast and streaming premiere as part of the PBS series American Masters later this year.

Janis Ian in 1975

“In the mid-60s, Janis Ian, a teenage singer-songwriter from New Jersey, scores a controversial...

Exclusive: Jack Black has boarded Gianna, a horror comedy short written, produced by and starring his School of Rock co-star Rivkah Reyes, as an associate producer.

Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.

“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”

Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...

Los Angeles public broadcaster Kcet has announced the student finalists for its 22nd annual Fine Cut Festival of Films, which will air as four one-hour episodes starting Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 10 p.m.

A collection of short films from Southern California student filmmakers, Fine Cut finalists are vying for prize packages in the categories of documentary, animation and narrative short films, as well the Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award, which singles out one student’s strength as a storyteller.

Besides airing on Kcet, the Fine Cut festival will also air nationwide on Link TV starting Thursday, Sept. 30 at 11 p.m., and more films will stream at kcet.org/finecut.

The panel of judges for this year’s competition included Variety deputy TV editor Michael Schneider, director Varda Bar-Kar, director Emily Cohen Ibañez, screenwriter and producer Weiko Lin, producer and editor Tanya Meillier, writer Kelly Younger, actress Karimah Westbrook (The...

Following the release of Tenet more movies are vacating 2020. The box office has not truly sprung to life. This year is mostly a wash for theaters. It is hard to say what lies ahead in 2021 but, for now, we have plenty of new movies coming to streaming for people to enjoy this weekend.

Millie Bobby Brown is playing Sherlock Holmes' sister in a new Netflix movie and Jessica Chastain is playing a ruthless assassin. We also have the third Rogue Warfare movie arriving, as well as a new Disney+ original and more. Here are this week's streaming selections.

Enola Holmes - Netflix

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Netflix opted to pick up the rights to Enola Holmes from Legendary Pictures after theaters shut down earlier this year. And it's easy to see why. Boasting an A-list cast led by Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill, it is a unique...

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are teaming to co-host a virtual edition of the annual Nfmla Film Festival InFocus: Latinx and Hispanic Cinema Festival.

Scheduled for Sept. 25-26 and powered by crowdfunding platform Seed&Spark, the line-up consists of two shorts programs and a presentation of Varda Bar-Kar’s feature documentary Fandango at the Wall. The film, which was recently acquired by HBO, counts Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana as executive producers and tells the story of musician Arturo O’Farrill and Kabir Sehgal as they recruit musicians in Veracruz for a live album recording ...

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are teaming to co-host a virtual edition of the annual Nfmla Film Festival InFocus: Latinx and Hispanic Cinema Festival.

Scheduled for Sept. 25-26 and powered by crowdfunding platform Seed&Spark, the line-up consists of two shorts programs and a presentation of Varda Bar-Kar’s feature documentary Fandango at the Wall. The film, which was recently acquired by HBO, counts Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana as executive producers and tells the story of musician Arturo O’Farrill and Kabir Sehgal as they recruit musicians in Veracruz for a live album recording ...

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have teamed once again for the annual Nfmla Film Festival InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival — but this time it’s virtual. The fest is set for September 25-26 which aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month which kicks off September 15 and continues through October 15.

With Seed&Spark as the platform, this year’s program includes two shorts programs and a presentation of Varda Bar-Kar’s documentary Fandango at the Wall which is executive produced by Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana. The docu was recently acquired by HBO.

The fest will also feature emerging filmmakers from the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Spain, Chile, and the Dominican Republic including the world premieres of Alberto Belli’s After Life Vacation, Kate Romero’s Chronology, and Alyssa Toledo’s Lift Off.

“This year’s slate contains a lot of powerful common...

Music documentary “Fandango at the Wall,” chronicling an extraordinary journey undertaken by musician Arturo O’Farrill and producer Kabir Sehgal — both multiple Grammy winners — to Veracruz, Mexico to recruit master musicians for a live album recording at the U.S.-Mexico border wall, is set to premiere on HBO on Sept. 25. HBO Latino and HBO Max will also carry the film.

A joint production between Tiger Turn Productions and Sony Music Latin, the feature-length doc was directed by Varda Bar-Kar and executive produced by Quincy Jones, Andrew Young and Carlos Santana. It serves as a timely reminder of how diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico have soured due to President Trump’s rhetoric and his efforts to build a border wall separating the neighboring countries.

The bond of music ties together the citizens of Mexico and those of Mexican descent who’ve kept alive the sounds and traditions of son jarocho,...

Exclusive: Sony Music Latin has partnered with Tiger Turn Productions for the feature music documentary Fandango at the Wall. Directed by Varda Bar-Kar and executive produced by Quincy Jones, Andrew Young, Carlos Santana, the feature follows Grammy-winning musician and Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra founder Arturo O’Farrill and and Grammy-winning producer Kabir Sehgal as they prepare to record a live album at the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

“When I first learned about this film, I knew we had to be part of it. We’re excited to partner with the production team and to share this powerful story with the world,” said Ruben Levya, Senior Vice President at Sony Music Latin, leading artist services and premium content.

“The film explores the roots of Latin music and, in particular, Afro-Mexican music known as son jarocho. It is both timely and timeless, as it looks at the issue of immigration between the United States and Mexico,...

On Location: The Los Angeles Video Project presented by NewFilmmakers La announced the winner of its Grand Jury and Audience Award prizes.

Picking up both awards was Varda Hardy’s “Ode to Los Angeles,” the prize comprising of a production package valued at $100k from Equilibrium Entertainment.

Answering the question, “What is your La?” Hardy’s film was shot on one day in ten locations around Los Angeles with twenty-six cast members, its images of Los Angeles bringing to life a poem read by David Babich. The film will premiere at discoverlosangeles.com/onlocation later this month.

Congratulations Varda!

On Location: The Los Angeles Video Project presented by NewFilmmakers La announced the winner of its Grand Jury and Audience Award prizes.

Picking up both awards was Varda Hardy’s “Ode to Los Angeles,” the prize comprising of a production package valued at $100k from Equilibrium Entertainment.

Answering the question, “What is your La?” Hardy’s film was shot on one day in ten locations around Los Angeles with twenty-six cast members, its images of Los Angeles bringing to life a poem read by David Babich. The film will premiere at discoverlosangeles.com/onlocation later this month.

Congratulations Varda!

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