PETER CUNNINGHAM
JANIS IAN
The 25th annual Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, which has started and will run through Nov. 21, will present the New Jersey premiere of the documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” directed by Varda Bar-Kar, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Regal Cinemas in New Brunswick. Ian and Bar-Kar will appear at the screening for a question-and-answer session. The festival will also offer the film online through Nov. 21; visit bildnercenter.rutgers.edu/events/film.
The documentary documents Ian’s life “beginning with her Jewish childhood on a chicken farm in New Jersey, her youthful struggle with notoriety following her first hit ‘Society’s Child’ … her ascent to fame with the hit single ‘At Seventeen’ about body shaming; and her pathbreaking album Breaking Silence about her lesbian identity,” according to press material.
“I’m way too close to judge the documentary, beyond saying that it’s been an amazing experience working with Varda,” Ian says. “Prior to that I had walked away from an offer by another party, and I’m really glad I did. I was worried (‘Breaking Silence’) would be a puff piece, but it’s far from that!
“When Varda and I began talking, I was adamant that the film be about the times, rather than only about me. She’s done a great job of capturing those times, from the civil rights and gay rights movements to my visiting South Africa during the ban — using archival film and interviews.”
Ian has been writing well-crafted songs that reflect society’s struggles since she was 14, with “Society’s Child,” which addressed racial injustice, and then “At Seventeen,” “Jesse,” “Stars” and others.
She has called her 2022 album The Light at the End of the Line her last one, as well as “her mission statement,” with songs of outrage and compassion (like “Perfect Little Girl”); defiance on songs such as “I’m Still Standing,” “Better Times Will Come” and “Resist”; and a theme of “acceptance, and tolerance without bullshit.”
A poster for the film “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.”
Her riveting 2008 autobiography “Society’s Child: My Autobiography” chronicles her journey growing up under FBI surveillance due to her parent’s political beliefs, experiencing childhood sexual abuse by her dentist, enduring domestic violence, and coping with unscrupulous business associates. We also learn about her early successes, penning two hit albums before she turned 30.
Ian’s archives are on exhibition at Berea College in Kentucky “for another seven to eight months, after which people will have to go to the archives section to see things,” she says. “Right now it’s occupying half the library’s main floor.” The exhibition includes a fascinating timeline of her family in America.
She has long embraced her grandparents’ and parents’ lessons of Tikkun Olam, a Hebrew phrase meaning to repair the world. It is often used to encourage social justice efforts in Jewish communities.
“It’s definitely a major part of the exhibit, and a major part of my life,” she says. “Berea is all about service, and the older I get, the more I realize that’s what my own life has been about.”
Ian’s home was seriously impacted by the recent storms in Florida. Has she and her wife recovered from the storm?
“Not even close,” she said. “It’s going to be a good 9 to 12 months before our island is completely back on its feet. At one point, the entire island was under 3 feet of water; higher, in a lot of places. My workspace and our garage were in 3 feet and stayed that way for several days; no one was allowed on the island until it was safe. So I’ve lost all the stage gear, clothing, makeup except for what was with me, and a guitar that fell during the surge and lay in the 3 feet of water for three days. It’s now at Berea as an example of what happens to wood and instruments soaked in saltwater.
“People like us are also discovering that regardless of the huge insurance bills we paid, our agents forgot to include things like, ‘There’s a new room downstairs, please make sure it’s insured.’ The businesses were very hard hit, too. It will be a long road.”
For more on the film, visit janisiandocumentary.com.
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