Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Synopsis
Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements.
But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.
Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.
Official Selection Glasgow Film Festival 2021 - World premiere
Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2021 - North American premiere
http://www.polystyrenefilm.com
Details
- Year
- 2021
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 96 min
- Format
- Digital
- Director
- Celeste Bell, Paul Sng 1st Feature
- Producer
- Rebecca Mark Lawson, Daria Nitsche, Matthew Silverman
- Executive Producer
- Natasha Dack, Nikki Parrott, Richard Coram, Bruno Waser
- Editor
- Xanna Ward Dixon
- Screenwriter
- Celeste Bell, Zoe Howe, Paul Sng
- Director of Photography
- Nick Ward
- Sound
- James Shirley, Jonathan Hardy
- Principal Cast
- Poly Styrene, Ruth Negga, Celeste Bell, Don Letts, Kathleen Hanna, Neneh Cherry
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 28th August 2024
