WPFRM & Void Micro Cinema Presents: Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

Void Micro Cinema and Winnipeg Punk Rock Flea Market team up for their second screening in an ongoing series showcasing the convergence of punk rock and film, this time with an inspiring documentary on the feminist punk icon Poly Styrene, frontwoman of the vastly underrated but hugely influential 80's punk band X-Ray Spex, directed by Poly's daughter Celeste Bell.

Poly Styrene: I Am a ClichéDirected by Celeste BellUK, 2021, 89 mins
Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements. But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship. Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.
WPRFM and Void are proud to be presenting this screening in partnership with We Rock, a non-profit summer music camp that empowers girls, trans, and gender expansive youth, to whom a portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated.