Filmmaker Dana Flor directs 1-800-On-Her-Own, an intimate documentary portrait of feminist singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. The film takes viewers on a cinematic journey from DiFranco’s punk-folk origins to her current roles as an activist, mother, and revered musician. It takes its title from the actual toll-free number for Ani DiFranco’s own Righteous Babe record label, which has been operational since the early ’90s,

1-800-On-Her-Own made its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, where audiences were treated to a special Ani musical performance, and will have it US theatrical premiere on Friday, April 18 at Film Forum in NY.

The synopsis reads, “At age 15, feminist icon and activist Ani DiFranco was an emancipated minor and a singer-songwriter star in the coffee house music scene. At 19, she started Righteous Babe, her own record label, and released her self-titled first album a year later in 1990 – followed by 22 albums over the next 33 years and collaborations with Pete Seeger, Cyndi Lauper, and Prince.

With intimate access to the 54-year-old’s creative and personal life – she is bisexual, married, a mother of two, and still “DIY all the way” – Dana Flor introduces the viewer to an artistically evolving, ardently self-evaluating version of the rebel prodigy; and draws decades-long fans into the vulnerable, real-time struggles of a middle-aged righteous babe.“

in a conversation with Berkshire Magazine, Ani DiFranco talked about the documentary, saying, “Well, I feel really good about it in that I actually haven’t watched it. That would make me feel all sorts of other things. It’s been working out really well to not watch it myself and get into that inward spiral of “Oh, God, why don’t I do more things to look better in any given moment?” I didn’t do anything different because there was a camera around. I couldn’t bring myself to. It’s very honest, it’s very raw, and it’s very much the director Dana Flor’s creation. I didn’t tell her anything, really. I saw an earlier version, and I gave a couple of notes, basically protecting not my own privacy, but the privacy of others in my life. That was about it.”

Critical reception of 1-800-On-Her-Own has been cool, with The Hollywood Report review calling it a “dull Ani DiFranco doc,” and writing, “At a mere 80 minutes, the film should at least come across as tight and succinct (and chock full of information). Instead, the narrative mostly centers DiFranco’s muted pandemic years — were they interesting for anyone? — and offers only a surface-level retelling of her rise to prominence in the 1990s, her innovations as an artist-entrepreneur and her songwriting prowess.”

Watch the official trailer for 1-800-On-Her-Own.