Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery

Ally Pankiw's 2025 documentary is about Lilith Fair, the festival of women musicians Sarah McLachlan founded in 1997. Radio stations at the time would not play two women singers in a row; the festival opposed that rule directly. The documentary's most valuable quality is showing how the press of the period treated it: the constantly belittling questions and mocking headlines are given with the recordings. The festival's shortcomings on diversity are also discussed, and the film does not try to defend them. Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu and Olivia Rodrigo speak. The archive performances are strong. Who it's for: viewers interested in the music scene of the nineties and the history of women artists. Who it's not for: anyone wanting deep musical analysis, or who will find the celebratory tone excessive.