Sini Anderson facts for kids

Sini Anderson (born November 6, 1969) is an American film director, producer, artist, dancer, and poet from Chicago, Illinois. She is well-known for directing The Punk Singer (2013). This documentary is about the musician Kathleen Hanna and her experience with Lyme disease.

Early Life in Chicago

Sini Anderson did not go to high school or college. She started her artistic journey as a professional dancer in Chicago. She studied modern dance. After dancing for some years, Anderson wanted to express herself more. She began to write.

When she was 22, Anderson performed her first spoken word piece. She won a poetry slam that evening. This encouraged her to get more involved in the Chicago poetry scene. She started her own spoken word group called "The Words to Swallow Poets." Anderson performed with her group at local clubs. They often opened for music acts before she moved to San Francisco.

San Francisco Experiences

Learning About Feminism

Sini Anderson is very open about her views on feminism. She learned about it from her friends and the punk rock scene. She did not have the chance to take women's studies classes in school. San Francisco became her creative "college" for learning about feminist art.

In her early twenties, she first heard the word "feminist." She learned about feminist artists through magazines called zines and by going to shows. She liked third wave feminism because it was easy to understand and challenged popular culture. She says that Tammy Rae Carland, Kathleen Hanna, and Michelle Tea were her biggest influences. Anderson believes that showing emotions can be a strength for women.

Sister Spit and Touring Shows

When Anderson moved to San Francisco, she noticed a lot of unfairness towards women in the poetry scene. Within a few months, she became good friends with Michelle Tea. Together, they started an all-girl weekly open mic series called Sister Spit (1994–1997). They also created Sister Spit's Ramblin' Road Show. This was a spoken word tour that ran from 1997 to 2000.

Anderson and Tea performed in San Francisco for three years. Then they started Sister Spit's Ramblin' Road Show. They took ten other performers on tour across the country. They did three national summer tours, each lasting six weeks. Sister Spit released several albums. These included I Spit on Your Country (1997) and Greatest Spits!: A Spoken Word Compilation (2001). Her work is also in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.

Career as a Filmmaker

Anderson always wanted to be a filmmaker. She thought she needed film school, but she still pursued her dream. In the late 1990s, she became interested in the underground film scene in San Francisco. She started working with other artists. She helped new directors make their films.

Anderson then began making her own short films. She added video to her stage performances. This made her a multimedia performance artist.

Making The Punk Singer

Anderson and Kathleen Hanna knew about each other as artists for many years. They became friends in 2000. In 2009, Hanna's health was getting worse, and her friends and family were worried.

Hanna first asked Anderson to direct a documentary for her band, Le Tigre. But Anderson was more interested in telling the story of Hanna's whole career. Hanna agreed to have the documentary made only if Anderson would direct it. Hanna encouraged Anderson to make her first full-length film. Anderson encouraged Hanna to share her story. Anderson said it was important for people to hear Hanna's deeper story. This way, others could feel less alone.

Halfway through filming, Hanna was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme disease. The film was not originally about Hanna's illness. Anderson wanted to tell the story of Hanna's part in the riot grrrl movement. She also wanted to show Hanna's career in the punk band Bikini Kill. She used interviews with Hanna's family and friends. She also used old videos and photos.

The story of the film changed as they filmed. It gained a new purpose. Anderson said that Lyme disease can make people feel very alone. She felt that Hanna's willingness to show her illness could help other people.

Film Release and Awards

The Punk Singer first showed in March 2013 at SXSW. It received good reviews. The film was then released in 73 cities across America. IFC Films distributed the movie.

Anderson's film won many awards. These include the "Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, Women in Cinema" at the Seattle International Film Festival. It also won "Best First Feature Director" and "ARCA Best Director Award" at Mexico City's Distrital International Film Festival. It also received POV's Humanitarian Award in Media.

In May 2014, BuzzFeed reported that some people who helped fund The Punk Singer through Kickstarter did not get the items they paid for. These items included signed posters and tickets to private screenings. Anderson explained that because IFC Films now owned the documentary, she could not provide sneak previews or private screenings.

Anderson's Lyme Disease

Just six weeks after Kathleen Hanna's diagnosis, Sini Anderson ended up in the hospital. She had signs of a possible heart attack or stroke. A month later, she received an official diagnosis of late-stage Lyme disease. At first, doctors told Anderson nothing was wrong. But she kept getting sicker.

During the filming of The Punk Singer, Anderson did not want to publicly say she also had Lyme disease. She did not want to make the film's story more complicated. She also did not want to take the focus away from Hanna's illness.

As the film went into post-production, Anderson became sicker. She had to use an IV PICC line to receive antibiotic treatments. These treatments have made Anderson healthier. She still watches for signs of sickness. She takes herbs and eats a healthy diet.

After The Punk Singer was made, Anderson learned that 17 other artists she knew also had late-stage Lyme disease. Today, the number of diagnosed artists she knows personally has grown to 75.

Other Works and Projects

Anderson has worked as a first assistant director on other independent films. These include Miggy n Lil (2006), Bare Knuckle (2007), and Karma Calling (2009).

She directed the book trailer for the memoir Whip Smart by Melissa Febos. This trailer won Best Short Documentary at the Fetisch Film Festival in 2010.

She has also directed many music videos. These include Jolie Holland's "All Those Girls" (2012), Lovers' "Girl in the Grass" (2014), and Girlpool's "Blah Blah Blah" (2014).

Anderson has also given lectures at several universities across America. These include Yale University, Wesleyan University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

So Sick (2016)

Anderson is currently working on her second full-length film, a documentary called So Sick. This film explores the large number of artists, academics, and activists who have late-stage Lyme disease.

Personal Life

Anderson lived in San Francisco, California, in her twenties. She now divides her time between Brooklyn, New York, and Los Angeles, California.

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women