Fanny: The Right to Rock
Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina-American sisters got together with other teenage girls to play music. Little did they know their garage band would evolve into the legendary rock group Fanny, the first all-women band to release an LP with a major record label (Warner/Reprise, 1970). Despite releasing 5 critically-acclaimed albums over 5 years, touring with famed bands from SLADE to CHICAGO and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny's groundbreaking impact in music was written out of history... until bandmates reunite 50 years later with a new rock record deal. With incredible archival footage of the band's rocking past intercut with its next chapter releasing a new LP today, the film includes interviews with a large cadre of music icons, including Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Bonnie Raitt, The Go-Go's Kathy Valentine, Todd Rundgren, The Runaways' Cherie Currie, Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, The B52's Kate Pierson, Charles Neville and David Bowie guitarist and bassist Earl Slick and Gail Ann Dorsey. Fighting early barriers of race, gender and sexuality in the music industry, and now ageism, the incredible women of Fanny are ready to claim their hallowed place in the halls of rock 'n' roll fame.
Director & Cast
- Director: Bobbi Jo Hart
- Starring: June Millington
- Starring: Jean Millington
- Starring: Brie Howard
- Starring: Alice de Buhr
- Starring: Nickey Barclay
- Starring: Patti Quatro
- Starring: Joe Elliott
- Starring: Bonnie Raitt
- Starring: Kathy Valentine
- Starring: Todd Rundgren
- Starring: Cherie Currie
- Starring: John Sebastian
- Starring: Kate Pierson
Now Playing
In Theater Playdates
Venue |
City |
State |
Begins |
---|---|---|---|
Quad Cinemas | New York | NY | May 27, 2022 |
Regal Westpark 8 | Irvine | CA | June 3, 2022 |
The Landmark Westwood | Los Angeles | CA | June 3, 2022 |
Belcourt Theatre | Nashville | TN | June 6, 2022 |
Regal UA Tara Cinemas 4 | Atlanta | GA | June 10, 2022 |
Regal High Ridge 8 | Albuquerque | NM | June 10, 2022 |
Regal Fox Tower Stadium 10 | Portland | OR | June 10, 2022 |
Regal Downtown West 8 | Knoxville | TN | June 10, 2022 |
Regal Arbor 8 | Austin | TX | June 10, 2022 |
The Kiggins Theatre | Vancouver | WA | June 10, 2022 |
Trailer

Photos
Reviews
- "It’s a vivid look at artists who remained entirely themselves throughout their careers. And they rock."
- "Intense hard rock. Searing guitar solos. Serious strutting on stage with no sexual posturing. These aren’t things you often associate with female musicians. So props to Bobbi Jo Hart, whose documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock puts the spotlight on the groundbreaking all-women rock group that too few people have ever heard of. Credit racism, sexism and homophobia to consigning this outfit of excellent musicians, the first women’s band to secure a record deal with a major label, to near oblivion."
- "Hart’s wonderful uncovering of this exhilarating piece of queer/Filipino/female/music history was way past due and makes for such compelling viewing."
- "“Fanny: The Right to Rock” remains thoroughly engaging thanks to the demonstrable talent and brassy forthrightness of its central personalities. There’s no whiff of “nostalgia act” to their current music — these women are born rock lifers who clearly never stopped evolving creatively, even if the hoped-for commercial rewards never quite arrived."
- "An illuminating documentary on the sexism, racism, ageism and homophobia that confronted members of Fanny, which many consider the first all-female rock band."
- "Bobbi Jo Hart’s energetic documentary shines a light on one of the greatest, most forgotten all-female rock bands in music history."
- "If you’re a fan of music, true stories, or just girls rocking out, I’d recommend giving Fanny: The Right To Rock a watch."
- "Fanny: The Right to Rock is a glorious love letter to a band that should’ve had a lot more fame and hits than they were handed. It’s a powerful spotlight that’s shone directly on a band that could’ve been swept under the rug by the passing of time."
- "A terrific and eye-opening documentary and an amendment to misconceptions."
Rogers Audience Choice Award
Hot Docs
Best Canadian Feature Film
InsideOut Toronto
Best Documentary
OUTSHINE LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Best Music Documentary
Edmonton NW Film Festival
Audience Choice Award
San Diego Filipino Film Festival
DOCNYC Film Festival
Frameline Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
OutFest LA
Calgary Int'l. Film Festival
Doc 'n Roll Film Festival
Melbourne Queer Film Festival
Ashland Film Festival
Minneapolis Sound Unseen