MOnday, November 10 @ 6:30pm
JCC Columbus | 1125 College Ave Columbus, OH 43209
Tickets: $20
Q&A with Janis Ian following film
Directed by Varda Bar-Kar, Documentary, USA, 111 min, 2024, English
A captivating journey through the life of a trailblazing artist who dared to challenge the norms. At just 15, Janis Ian shook the world with her bold hit “Society’s Child,” a song about an interracial relationship that not only launched her career but also sparked controversy during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Over the next six decades, Ian jammed with Jimi Hendrix, partied with Janis Joplin, and played duets with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. But she also had to overcome the stigma of her early success, homophobia, record industry misogyny, and a life-threatening illness, all while creating an indelible
body of work that continues to attract audiences worldwide.
Breaking Silence chronicles the singer’s epic life journey from her Jewish childhood on a chicken farm in New Jersey through the release of the disruptive album Breaking Silence, which she leveraged to come out publicly about her gay marriage. With access to Ian’s incredible body of music, her vast archive, family, friends, famed collaborators, and music journalists, this in-depth documentary balances the intimacy of a home movie against a sweeping historical and contemporary context.
Janis Ian is 10-time GRAMMY nominee (three-time winner) whose songs and performances have resonated with a diverse group of fans for more than six decades. She is one of just a handful of artists who have received nominations in eight completely different categories.
Raised by activist Jewish parents on a New Jersey farm, she currently lives in Florida with her partner and wife of 36 years. Ian received her first GRAMMY nomination in 1967 for “Best Folk Album” with Janis Ian, featuring “Society’s Child.” She took home her first GRAMMY in 1975 for “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female – At Seventeen,” and her second for “Best Spoken Word Album – Society’s Child: My Autobiography” in 2013. Her 2023 GRAMMY nomination for “Best Folk Album,” The Light at the End of the Line, brought her full circle.
Never one to rest on her laurels, Ian continues to release new projects. In May 2025, the never-released single “One In A Million” performed by Ian and Joan Baez was made available. Co-written by Ian and Jess Leary, it is an anthem for change and a reminder that your dreams are still attainable, do not lose hope. And in June, Janis Ian – From Me To You: Live In Bremen 2004 became available. The double-CD release is the first album of a full live-show in 47 years.