N.J. folk icon Janis Ian talks new ‘Breaking Silence’ doc about her brilliant life

Janis Ian

Janis Ian, the folk singer-songwriter from New Jersey, is the subject of a documentary "Janis Ian: Breaking Silence" in theaters Friday, March 28. Ian is shown here performing in 1975.Peter Cunningham

Janis Ian’s music brought her from Central Jersey to the world. It’s a sonic journey that included landmark compositions such as “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking)” in 1966, “Stars” in 1974 and “At Seventeen” in 1975, and has seen her songs covered by everyone from Cher to Nina Simone to Dave Grohl.

The enduring folk icon and Farmingdale native previously shared her life’s story in the 2008 memoir “Society’s Child: My Autobiography.” Now, Ian’s personal history is coming to the big screen with the new documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.” Directed by Varda Bar-Kar, the film will be released in theaters via Greenwich Entertainment on Friday, March 28.

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