Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
2025 documentary film
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Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery is a 2025 documentary film directed by Ally Pankiw. It follows the Lilith Fair, a music festival founded by Sarah McLachlan, which focused on female solo musicians and female-led bands. Dan Levy serves as a producer under his Not a Real Production company banner.
companies
- White Horse Pictures
- Elevation Pictures
- Chicago Media Project
- Epic
- Minderoo Pictures
- Sobey Road Entertainment
| Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ally Pankiw |
| Produced by | |
| Cinematography | Nina Djacic |
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| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
The documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2025, broadcast on CBC in Canada on September 17, 2025, and was released in the United States on September 21, 2025, by ABC News Studios and Hulu.
Premise
Explores the Lilith Fair, a musical festival founded by Sarah McLachlan, which focused on female solo musicians and female-led bands. McLachlan, Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Erykah Badu, Bonnie Raitt, Jewel, Indigo Girls, Mya, Natalie Merchant, and Emmylou Harris are among those interviewed.[2]
Production
In July 2024, it was announced Ally Pankiw would direct a documentary revolving around Lilith Fair, with Dan Levy set to produce. Elevation Pictures and White Horse Pictures will produce the film, with Elevation set to distribute in Canada alongside CBC.[3]
The filmmakers drew from more than 600 hours of never-before-seen archival footage as well as new interviews and stories from fans, festival organizers, and participating artists.[4]
Release
The documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2025.[1][5] The documentary was then broadcast on CBC in Canada on September 17, 2025, and released in the United States on September 21, 2025, by ABC News Studios and Hulu.[6]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 15 critics' reviews are positive.[7]
Chris Willman of Variety wrote, "Director Ally Pankiw does a solid job of setting up the seeds that led to Lilith becoming a cultural phenomenon and global meme."[8]
The film received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards in 2026.[9]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026
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Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures - Documentary | Steve Foster, Lana Marie Hattar | Nominated | [10] |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision for a Documentary | Amanda Clemens, Jody Colero | Won | [11] | |
| Webby Awards | Video & Film (Music) | Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery - The Untold Story | Won | [12] | |
| Rockie Awards | Documentary & Factual: Arts & Culture | White Horse Pictures, Elevation Pictures, ABC News Studios, Not A Real Production Company | Pending | [13] | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Feature Length Documentary | Dan Levy, Ally Pankiw, Christina Piovesan, Noah Segal | Pending | [14] | |
| Visual Research | Stefanie McCarrol, Tammy Egan and Judy Ruzylo | Pending |