Featuring vintage clips of the punk movement, archive footage and more
Set to be released on November 2018, a feature-length film documenting Poly Styrene’s life – entitled Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché – is currently in the works.
Written by artist and musician Zoë Howe and daughter Celeste Bell, the film will focus on pivotal moments in Styrene’s life and how she dealt with misogyny, racism and mental health issues as a bi-racial, working class female.
On the film, director Paul Sng said, “Poly Styrene remains one of the most original and dynamic voices in popular culture. We’re aiming to make a film that reflects her effervescent and vivid life, and provide a fitting cinematic tribute to her legacy as an artist and icon.”
To create a portrait of the punk frontwoman, the documentary will include previously unseen footage, original interviews and archive material set to a score of Styrene’s music.
Having run away from home at age 15 with just £3 in her pocket, Styrene hitchhiked between festivals before going on to produce her first demo album in 1975 when she was 18. Inspired by a Sex Pistols gig at Hastings Pier, she then went on to form X Ray Spex through an ad in the newspaper calling for ‘young punx who want to stick it together’.
Their debut album Germfree Adolescents was released to wide acclaim in 1978.
Watch the trailer for the film above. You can help fund it via Indiegogo here.