“Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken” Premieres at Tribeca Festival
Tribeca Festival attendees were blown away by the premiere of Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken on June 14th at the Beacon Theater in New York City, followed directly by a rocking live performance by Melissa.
Streaming of the two-part docuseries begins July 9 on Paramount+.
This moving film project follows the connections between Melissa and five female residents of the Topeka Correctional Facility who write letters to her sharing their life experiences, inspiring her to write and perform an original song in their honor.
Through the film, we learn the shocking fact that female incarceration rates in the US have risen 700 percent since 1980, emphasizing the crucial need to reconnect with the people who have been left behind by our broken systems.
With nuanced and compassionate portrayals, the film shines a light on the struggles faced by people with substance use disorders, trauma, and mental health issues, and the dire lack of resources for them to access treatment.
Relating with her own experiences, Melissa bonds with the women through the conduit of music as an act of empathy, understanding, and hope. She urges them to fight for themselves, to break the cycles of addiction and abuse.
The film culminates with Melissa returning to her home state of Kansas to perform a full concert for the 2,500 women residents on prison grounds, including the debut of the powerful new song she wrote for them: A Burning Woman.
The magic of the experience is captured on Melissa's new album I’m Not Broken (Live From Topeka Correctional Facility), which will be released on July 5.
Melissa’s advocacy is woven throughout the film, including talking about the loss of her son Beckett and the urgent need for more effective treatments for opioid use disorder.
We’re so proud to be led by Melissa’s embodiment of the Etheridge Foundation mission through her activism and art.
A deep thank you to the film team – including directors Brian Morrow and Amy Scott, Producer Jonathan Lynch, and Executive Producer Deb Klein among others – for bringing this story to the world.
