Girl Blitz, a voices for Hope Benefit Concert, will take place on April 18th at Mechanic Hall in Worcester, MA. Featuring all-star performances by bands such as Uh Huh Her (with Leisha Hailey from the L Word), Antigone Rising and The Voice semi-finalist Kristen Merlin, this one-of-a-kind event is brought to you by Kada Films in support of the feature film Life Abstract.
Dawna Sirad, the creator of Life Abstract, realized after completing her project that securing funding for an independent film created by a female filmmaker was going to be a challenge, to say the least. Add to that the fact that her film centered around a lesbian protagonist and backers were not exactly knocking down her door. But Dawna refused to give up and used some innovative problem solving to come up with a different kind of fundraiser, and Girl Blitz was born. Her film had resonated with many members of the LGBTQ community and women in general, and before long there was an outpouring of support from some big names in the music scene and in Hollywood, and the festival began to take form.
ife Abstract centers around the story of a creative young lesbian who uses art therapy to recover from a childhood fraught with abuse. The film presents some incredibly dark material in a beautiful and at times humorous way, and champions the benefits of art therapy as part of the healing process. This premise deeply resonated with many of the performers taking part in Girl Blitz. Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer came on board first as MC and said she was "honored to participate in such a great cause." Kristen Merlin said, "Equal in importance is the film's LGBTQ genre. Although gay and lesbian films are becoming more accepted in mainstream media, it's still important that we do everything we can to support projects that positively represent our community." Other supporters of the festival include the American Art Therapy Association, Darkness to Light and the Ms. Foundation.
The huge amount of interest and support this project has generated has turned Girl Blitz into a national destination event and has led to plans to create a Girl Blast Concert Film by Alexis Fish, the producer of John Cameron Mitchell's acclaimed film Short Bus. This film will tour at LGBT Film Festivals across the country and will be just one of the ways this visionary festival will make a difference.
The featured artists scheduled to perform at Girl Blitz are Uh Huh Her, Kristen Merlin, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Melissa Ferrick, Mimi Gonzalez, Catie Curtis, Antigone Rising, Sick of Sarah and Bitch.
