BKonthescene

Red Carpet  Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – Sarah McLachlan

Day 10 TIFF 2025 was expected with anticipation! It was the day when the film Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery would have its World Premier. And before the documentary film screening, was the Red Carpet at Roy Thomson Hall. On the Red Carpet were; singer Kathleen Edwards, director Ally Pankiw, American Broadcaster – Diane Sawyer,  Sarah McLachlan, Producers Dan Levy and Christina Piovesan along with crew and Executive Producers, one being Diane Sawyer. And sneaking behind the media was proud father of Dan, actor Eugene Levy.

Film screening Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – Sarah McLachlan at RTH

What was Lilith Fair? Lilith Fair was a travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group’s Dan Fraser and Terry McBride and New York talent agent Marty Diamond.

Created by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan as a result of her frustration with concert promoters and radio stations which refused to have two female musicians in a row on a concert line-up. Lilith Fair took place in the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. The concerts had solely female solo artists and female-led bands. In its first three years, Lilith Fair raised over $10 million for charity.

This documentary from director Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) chronicles Lilith Fair’s triumphant three-year run, taking us behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival. It includes interviews with performers Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Jewel, Olivia Rodrigo and Emmylou Harris.

Lilith Fair really changed everything.  1997 this revolutionary travelling music festival, led by superstar Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and featuring exclusively women or women-led acts.

Back in the ’90s, commercial radio felt they couldn’t play two women singers in a row. Very frustrated by this, McLachlan went on tour with Paula Cole to offer audiences an entire night of women’s artistry. That tour went so well that the next summer McLachlan started Lilith Fair, named after the Lilith of Jewish lore: Adam’s renegade first wife. It then became the year’s top-grossing festival because the artists were so good. Lilith Fair’s eventual roster included Fiona Apple, Tracy Chapman, Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Indigo Girls and Pat Benatar.

With beautiful performances, tons of backstage footage, and media coverage, Pankiw explores the logistics and challenges in making these festivals happen. She also highlights the festival’s significance to younger emerging artists through interviews with Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo. There’s also testimony from actor-filmmaker Dan Levy, a producer of the film, who attended his first Lilith Fair as a boy and was forever moved by it.

The legacy of the Lilith Fair music festivals lives on. We learn all about the legacy through this inspiring music documentary. Great film for Sarah McLaughlin fans, festival fans, Lilith fans, music fans and women’s rights supporters. The screening included an animated and fun Q & A with Sarah McLaughlin, Director Ally Pankiw, Producers Dan Levy and Christina Piovesan led by CEO of TIFF – Cameron Bailey.  Well worth the wait to Day 10 of TIFF 2025!