Poly Styrene: I AM A CLICHE
Documentary | Sky Arts
Modern Films | Tyke Films
Dir Celeste Bell & Paul Sng
Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements.
Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Poly Styrene’s daughter, Celeste Bell, as she examines her mother’s unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.
Winner- Best Documentary- British Independent Film Awards.Winner- Raindance Discovery Award- British Independent Film Awards.
Nominee- Best Feature Film- BAFTA, Scotland.
Nominee- Best Music Documentary- The Grierson Trust Awards.
US/ Nationwide cinemas