True/False Films

Girls Rock!

In person: co-director Arne Johnson.

Amelia is writing a 14-song opus about her dog Pippi, Palace is only 8 but has anxiety attacks that make her too ill to go to school, death metal fan Laura sometimes hates herself and Misty has a history of meth addiction. Being a girl ain't easy. The 8- to 18-year-olds in Girls Rock! are dealing with everything from body-image problems to self-esteem issues, addiction, and bullying, but at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls they are also learning to turn up the volume and make some noise! The campers, many of whom have never so much as picked up a guitar before, must form bands, write their own songs and play to an audience of over 700 people at the end of the week — guided by some very rad rock and roll "elders" like The Gossip's Beth Ditto and Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein. The camp becomes an exhilarating journey of self-discovery as the girls learn to jump and scream and take up space in a society where the number one wish of teenage girls is to lose weight. Making music is a revolutionary act for these kids, and it is a joy to watch them be transformed by the experience. As newly empowered Laura says at the end of the camp, "Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and they get even better when they decide to be powerful and they decide to rock!" (IK)