Lilith Fair Documentary Premieres at Toronto Film Festival, Hulu

The documentary "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery," directed by Ally Pankiw, chronicles the groundbreaking all-female music festival created by Sarah McLachlan in the late 1990s. The film, which draws from over 600 hours of archival footage and features interviews with original artists like Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, and Erykah Badu, as well as newer musicians such as Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo, is based on the 2019 Vanity Fair article "Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair." It will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2025, before debuting on Hulu and Disney+ on September 21. The documentary highlights the festival's role in challenging industry sexism and creating a space for women artists in a male-dominated field, while also coinciding with McLachlan's first studio album in over a decade, "Better Broken," and a Canadian concert tour. ABC News Studios has acquired U.S. distribution rights, and a theatrical release is planned in Canada. The film offers a deeper understanding of Lilith Fair's cultural impact and legacy as a community of women supporting one another in music.