The Women Who Paved The Way For Punk

In the mood to stay in and watch a movie? May we suggest From The Back Of The Room, a documentary about the trailblazing ladies of punk who were doing their thing before you even first heard the words “Riot Grrrl” uttered out of your super-cool “alternative” friend’s mouth.

The documentary interviews many of the influential women from that era, from Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill and Le Tigre to Tribe 8’s Slade, as well as members of Kylesa, Bratmobile, The Soviettes, Naked Aggression, Blatz, Optimus Crime, and many others. The film’s website describes the doc like so:

Many people have the impression that the Riot Grrrl movement in the mid-90s was the end-all, be-all of female involvement in DIY punk. This is definitely not the case! Plenty of amazing ladies prior to this era paved the way for it, and plenty of amazing ladies continue to help keep DIY together today. This documentary chronicles the past 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, and has interviews with over 30 women from across the country, ages 17 to 40. Race, gender, sexuality, motherhood, class, and activism are all addressed in this film, giving a more complete picture of how these women participate in the DIY community, and how it affects their daily lives.