| The Gits | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kerri O'Kane |
| Written by | Kerri O'Kane and Jessica Bender |
| Produced by | Jessica Bender |
| Cinematography | Sean Kirby |
| Edited by | Stacie Dekker, Lorena David, Allan Spencer Wall |
| Distributed by | Liberation |
Release date | 2005 |
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Gits is a 2004 documentary directed by Kerri O'Kane about the Seattle punk band, The Gits, and the 1993 murder of their frontwoman, Mia Zapata. A tribute to Zapata and her legacy, the film examines the impact of her death on her friends, family, and the Seattle music community.
O'Kane first learned about the Gits in 2002 while doing research for a documentary about ovarian cancer. After the self-defense collective Home Alive, founded in Zapata's memory, came up in O'Kane's research, she discovered the band's music and Zapata's story. An
O'Kane was finishing the film in 2003, events took a dramatic turn. Police found a convicted felon whose DNA matched the murderer's DNA that was found on Zapata's body.
An early cut of the film was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2005. Following the screening, O'Kane was offered additional archival material, including a 1993 Gits concert. O'Kane subsequently shot new footage and reshaped the film. A DVD release was set and national distribution for the film was secured. [1] It premiered in 35 theaters on July 8, 2008. The DVD was released on the same day. [2]
ate one night in 2002, I was going through some books I had purchased for research on a documentary I was working on at the time. In so doing, I discovered an organization called "Home Alive". After reading further about this nonprofit collective, there was a name, Mia Zapata, and a dedication to her. What a cool name I thought and who was this woman? After surfing the net and finding dozens of sites about her it was clear that Mia was the singer of The Gits, and sadly, no longer with us. A flood of emotions streamed through me as I read the articles and dedications and learned about what happened to Mia Zapata. The information I read ripped my heart out yet, having not heard The Gits, I pined the rest of the night anticipating my journey to Tower Records. Finally, 9:00 am approached and I blazed up to the store. There in the back of the store, sort of obscured by the latest music hype, I found it, "Seafish Louisville: The Gits." My heart palpitated as the cd revolved in the player of my car. I sat there silently as a slowly building riff echoed out of the speakers, then, there was a voice, a beautiful incomparable voice, "I woke up this morning, dizzy in my brain . . .". That was all I needed to hear to know that I was about to go on a journey of a lifetime. From that point on, it has indeed become a remarkable journey that I will never forget.
and members talk about hiring a P.I. to investigate their friends, and also explores how her friends and family tried to make something positive out of their anger, grief and fear.
. help tell the story of the band's short but meteoric career and of Zapata's exceptional gift as a punk singer and lyricist who recalled blues legends Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
Here is a three-word summary of how intense this documentary is: Joan Jett cries.
O'Kane provides an unflinching look at the damage, as band members talk about hiring a P.I. to investigate their friends, and also explores how her friends and family tried to make something positive out of their anger, grief and fear. Anyone who doesn't know how this story turned out will be shocked and awed by the end, to be sure. (The Metro)