The film “Singing for Justice” is a 60-minute documentary about the incredible life of Faith Petric (1915-2013), known as the godmother of the San Francisco folk music scene.
Affectionately dubbed a “Geritol gypsy,” Faith was a charismatic performer, political radical, worker, mother and grandmother who packed many lifetimes into her 98 years. In particular, she is recognized for the using the power of music to inspire social change by combining folk music and activism.
The February 22 San Francisco screening of the award-winning film at the Roxie will feature a live sing-along and Q&A with co-directors, Stanford History Professor Estelle Freedman and award-winning filmmaker Christie Herring, and special guests.
Faith Petric was born in a log cabin in Idaho. Unusual for her generation, she graduated from Whitman College in 1937. She also lived (platonically) with the renowned painter Morris Graves, worked as a shipfitter in New Jersey during WWII (a real-life Rosie the Riveter), moved to Mexico where she gave birth to her daughter, marched for Civil Rights in Selma, visited Russia with a peace delegation, traveled the Amazon River, backpacked in Europe solo.
She also wrote a column called “The Folk Process” for “Sing Out!” Magazine until she was 96 years old. In her column, she often penned political rewrites of standard and folk tunes.
Faith performed throughout the U.S. and U.K. at folk festivals and cafes. For more than fifty years she had a powerful influence on several generations of musicians in conjunction with the San Francisco Folk Music Club’s bi-monthly musical jam sessions and singalongs at her Clayton Street home.
Musicians like Bruce “Utah” Phillips, Jean Ritchie, and Judy Small were a part of the action. Many locals fondly remember that at her 95th birthday at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage in 2010 she performed, her voice as strong as ever.
More than a decade in the making, the documentary film has succeeded in capturing Faith Petric’s inspiring presence as well as the exciting atmosphere in the Bay Area to which she greatly contributed.
The film had its world premiere this past October at the United Nations Association Film Festival and received recognition at several film festivals including B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest.
“Faith’s lifelong commitment to political engagement and musical creativity — through both hard and joyous times — provides a model for us today,” said co-director Estelle Freedman. “Her ability to create musical communities endures, with film audiences spontaneously singing together during the screenings!”
Co-director Christie Herring added, “I love watching the film with audiences after spending a great deal of time with the footage. I can hear people sing along, and the rooms are filled with hope. Faith’s life is a vital reminder of the joy inherent in the work for social change.”
‘Singing for Justice’ at The Roxie, Feb 22, 1pm. $18-$20, 3126 16th St.
www.roxie.com
www.singingforjustice.com
