#GIVEAWAY: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PASSES TO A SCREENING OF “LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY” AT HOT DOCS TED ROGERS CINEMA

First Generation Films x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win passes to a screening of tiff50 selection, LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY. Screenings take place in Toronto November 15 and 22, 2025.

Following its celebrated premiere at TIFF, its national debut on CBC, and overwhelming audience demand, the film will have a limited theatrical run across Canada this November, supported by Telefilm Canada.

Directed by Ally Pankiw (I Used To Be Funny) and produced by White Horse Pictures, Dan Levy’s Not a Real Production Company, and First Generation Films, the documentary offers an intimate look behind Sarah McLachlan’s groundbreaking all-women music festival, featuring Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, Emmylou Harris, and Sarah McLachlan herself.

Synopsis:

The untold story of the groundbreaking all-women music festival, started by singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan in the late 1990s. McLachlan was climbing the charts and selling records, but everyone in the industry told her no one would buy tickets to an all-female show. She ignored them all and, in 1996, brought Paula Cole on tour as her opening act. It went so well McLachlan decided to organize a festival that featured women-led bands and solo female artists. Drawing on more than 600 hours of archival footage, the new documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery tells the story of the groundbreaking concert tour.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and in the comments, tag a friend you’re bringing. Please also indicate which date you would like to attend, November 15/22. Multiple entries allowed.

Rules and regulations here.

Don’t want to chance it? More here on tickets.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures/CBC)

#FIRSTLOOK: “LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY” TO PREMIERE ON CBC AND CBC GEM

CBC and ABC News Studios announced today LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY, a feature-length documentary from director Ally Pankiw (I Used to Be Funny, Black Mirror, The Great), will premiere in Canada on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025 on CBC and CBC Gem and on Sunday, Sept. 21, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally (excluding Canada), following its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY tells the untold story of the groundbreaking music festival featuring only women artists, started by iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and her team in the late 1990s, in opposition to systematic industry barriers that limited women from playing together on a concert bill and getting back-to-back airplay on the radio. The film is produced with the support of the original Lilith Fair founders – Sarah McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser and Marty Diamond.

“I’m so filled with pride and nostalgia watching this film,” said Sarah McLachlan. “Ally and the team have beautifully captured the magic and strength of a community of women who came together and lifted each other up to create positive change in the world. I hope the film resonates with everyone and we can continue to strive to support and champion one another.”

Photos are available here.

LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY is inspired by the 2019 article, “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair,” from Vanity Fair and Epic Magazine, written by Jessica Hopper with Sasha Geffen and Jenn Pelly. It draws from more than 600 hours of never-before-seen archival footage as well as new interviews and stories from fans, festival organizers, and artists. The documentary reunites and features interviews from original Lilith Fair artists Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Paula Cole, Jewel, Mýa, Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, and Emmylou Harris and a new generation of artists who have carried the torch including Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. As the film celebrates the festival’s groundbreaking legacy and impact, it also confronts the backlash that tried to diminish it and explores what Lilith means in today’s world.

“Lilith Fair holds a very special place in my heart,” said Dan Levy. “It was one of the first spaces where I remember feeling at home. The music, the sense of community, and the power of a group of women proving an entire industry wrong was a tremendous thing to experience. What Sarah built with that festival changed so much for so many people. And while it is now seen as an odds-defying success story, it was an uphill battle every step of the way. And there is a lot to be learned from that story. It’s an honor to be working alongside Sarah on this and I am excited for everyone to understand just how revolutionary Lilith Fair really was.”

“I am so proud to be a part of this beautiful doc – especially at what feels like a fitting time to highlight a story of resistance and radical joy in the face of systems that try to keep women and diverse voices small,” said director Ally Pankiw. “The collaborative effort of this film and what it took to make it mirrors the incredible underdog story of Sarah and her team and how they fought for Lilith to succeed against all odds.”

Commissioned by CBC with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Rogers Group of Funds, LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY is directed by Ally Pankiw and produced by Dan Levy’s Not A Real Production Company and Elevation Pictures for ABC News Studios and presented by White Horse Pictures in association with Epic Magazine. The film is produced by Levy and Christina Piovesan. Executive producers are Cassidy Hartmann, Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa, and Nigel Sinclair for White Horse; Noah Segal for Elevation Pictures; Jessica Hopper; Arthur Spector, Joshuah Bearman and Joshua Davis for Epic Magazine; Ally Pankiw; Steve Cohen and Paula Froehle for Chicago Media Project; and Wayne Isaak. For ABC News Studios, Diane Sawyer, Claire Weinraub and Tess Scott Davidson are executive producers; and David Sloan is senior executive producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs.

Rachel McLean serves as supervising producer, and Isabel Merrell is co-executive producer. Ruti Prikhoji is Executive in Charge of Production for Elevation. The documentary is presented by Chicago Media Project and produced in association with Carlene C. Laughlin, Minderoo Pictures, the Elfant Festa Family and Sobey Road Entertainment. White Horse Pictures and Range Media Partners are acting as sales agents worldwide.

Lynne Stopkewich, Jessica Fraser and Dean English executive produce. The Manaaki Foundation, Barbara and Eric Dobkin, Malinda Wink, Christina Nolan and Rose Lizarraga will executive produce for Chicago Media Project; and Blue Skyzz Trust and Alexander Kellison will co-executive produce. For Sobey Road Entertainment, Andrew Trapani and Brian Nugent are executive producers, and David Sze and David Kirk are co-executive producers.

The film will launch the new season of CBC’s flagship documentary series THE PASSIONATE EYE.

In addition to the documentary premiere this fall, McLachlan will launch her first studio album of new music in over a decade, “Better Broken” (Concord Records), on Sept. 19. Produced by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, boygenius) and Will Maclellan (Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers), “Better Broken” is a soul-searching reflection on the fortitude that comes from weathering life’s constant storms. McLachlan will also be touring with her band across Canada this fall. For more information, visit sarahmclachlan.com.

#FIRSTLOOK: “LILITH FAIR” DOCUMENTARY WRAPS PRODUCTION

Dan Levy’s Not A Real Production Company, Elevation Pictures (Infinity Pool, Alice, Darling) and CBC are excited to announce that production has been completed on the upcoming official LILITH FAIR documentary presented by White Horse Pictures (Lucy & Desi, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) in association with Epic Magazine. The film is produced with the support of the original Lilith Fair founders – Sarah McLachlan, Terry McBride, Dan Fraser, and Marty Diamond, who will executive produce. The documentary is directed by Ally Pankiw (I Used to Be Funny, Black Mirror, The Great) and tells the story of the groundbreaking music festival featuring only women artists, started by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and her team in the late-1990s in direct opposition to the prevailing “industry wisdom” that limited women from playing together on a concert bill and getting back-to-back airplay on the radio.

The tour, which McLachlan titled Lilith Fair, attracted an array of stars like Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Tracy Chapman, Fiona Apple, the Indigo Girls, Erykah Badu, Bonnie Raitt, and Liz Phair, and quickly went from longshot idea to cultural juggernaut. Over three enormously successful summers, Lilith Fair helped launch the careers of artists like Missy Elliott, The Chicks, Nelly Furtado, and Christina Aguilera, raised millions of dollars for women’s charities, and catapulted feminist and queer representation into mainstream pop culture.

Commissioned by CBC with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Rogers Group of Funds, LILITH FAIR is produced by Dan Levy for Not A Real Production Company and Elevation’s Christina Piovesan. Executive producers are Cassidy Hartmann, Nicholas Ferrall, Nigel Sinclair and Jeanne Elfant Festa for White Horse; Noah Segal for Elevation; Jessica Hopper; Arthur Spector, Joshuah Bearman, and Joshua Davis for Epic Magazine; Ally Pankiw, Steve Cohen and Paula Froehle for Chicago Media Project; and Wayne Isaak. Rachel McLean serves as supervising producer and the cinematographer is Nina Djacic. The documentary is presented by Chicago Media Project and produced in association with Epic Magazine, Carlene Laughlin, Minderoo Pictures, and the Elfant Festa Family. Elevation Pictures will distribute theatrically in Canada, and the feature will premiere during the 2025-26 season of documentary showcase The Passionate Eye on CBC and CBC Gem. White Horse Pictures is acting as sales agent Worldwide.

“Lilith Fair exemplifies the ‘cool older sister’ of the music industry, who already knows the joys and nightmares of being a woman and tries to make the path a little bit easier for future generations. I want to give a deeper understanding of the festival to the young female, non-binary and queer musicians and music fans who picked up a guitar or tickets to a concert for the first time because Lilith showed them how,” says director Ally Pankiw. “I am so excited to work with Dan Levy as a producer on this film, as we have had many wonderful experiences as collaborators who have been able to shed light on characters and heroes not often given a second look.”

Dan Levy added, “Lilith Fair holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of the first spaces where I remember feeling at home. The music, the sense of community, and the power of a group of women proving an entire industry wrong was a tremendous thing to experience. What Sarah built with that festival changed so much for so many people. And while it is now seen as an odds-defying success story, it was an uphill battle every step of the way. And there is a lot to be learned from that story. I’m thrilled to join Sarah on this adventure and am excited for everyone to understand just how revolutionary Lilith Fair really was.”

“Originating with Canadian icon Sarah McLachlan, the Lilith Fair festival changed the course of the music industry beginning in the late 1990s and its reverberations are still being felt today,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, CBC. “In collaboration with the film’s talented creative team, we look forward to giving audiences across the country rare access to this turning point in music history, seen through a contemporary lens.”

“This is a story that’s long overdue and also deeply relevant in today’s times,” added Cassidy Hartmann for White Horse. “We’re so excited to be working with Ally, Dan, and Elevation to bring Lilith Fair’s groundbreaking achievements and impact to light, and to help share its many joys with a wider audience.”

In addition to charting the underdog story of Lilith’s success, the film takes a fresh look at the often-toxic culture of the music industry in the ’90s and the backlash that emerged against Lilith Fair, which marginalized Lilith Fair artists and made the tour a cultural punchline. It also follows McLachlan’s journey, illuminating how she became the person who turned the Lilith idea into a phenomenon, following her into the present day as she, and others, grapple with today’s music industry and the festival’s legacy.

The doc is inspired by the 2019 article, “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair”, from Vanity Fair and Epic Magazine, written by Jessica Hopper with Sasha Geffen and Jenn Pelly. It will draw from more than 600 hours of never-before-seen archival footage as well as new interviews and stories from fans, festival organizers, and artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Natalie Merchant, Mýa, Jewel, Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo. LILITH FAIR contextualizes the festival’s story within a larger cultural moment to explore how the tide of “girl power” helped give rise to some of the festival’s most insurgent stars and continues to inspire the music and progressive movements of today.

Executive producing alongside the Lilith Fair founders are Lynne Stopkewich, Jessica Fraser, and Dean English. Along with Steve Cohen and Paula Froehle, Rose Lizzaraga and David Scherer, Eric and Barb Dobkin, Bill Gee and Sue Crothers will executive produce for Chicago Media Project. Blue Skyzz Trust and Christina Nolan will Co-Executive Produce.

For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs and The Passionate Eye.