Girls Rock
Documentary (87 min.)

This film is about a community of women who are using rock and roll to empower and transform the lives of girls of all ages. Through the rock and roll camp for girls and the girls rock institute, major indie rockstars and dedicated volunteers provide, in the words of Assistant Director Jennifer Agosta, "a place where it is 100% O.K. to be exactly who you are."

The camp directly adresses the tension between stereotypically masculine pursuits like playing the electric guitar and the enthusiasm of young girls, using it to help the girls address feeling of inadequacy, self-consciousness and low self-esteem. As the girls take workshops on topics like "body oppression" alongside guitar lessons, many undergo startling transformations.

To chart this metamorphosis, we met and followed several girls from around the country before the camp, and stayed with them as they arrived in Portland, Oregon, formed bands on the first day and played a big show six days later.

Girls like Laura, an articulate and hilarious death metal fan from Oklahoma with fragile self-esteem who can't find any boys to let her do "death metal" vocals, palace, who at the age of eight is the very embodiment of Rawk, and Misty, who has survived a history of drug-addicted parentsand gang-involvement to emerge shining on the showcase stage.