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Though overshadowed in terms of press coverage by some of their contemporaries, few of the bands in the early 90s Northwest music scene commanded as much respect as the Gits. Frequently lumped with the punk-alt rock vibe of the period because of the buzzsaw roar of college friends Andy Kessler (on guitar), bassist Matt Dresdner and drummer Steve Moriarty, the band actually hewed closer to rootsier outfits like X or even Lone Justice thanks to the deeply personal and impassioned lyrics of singer Mia Zapata. The strength and scope of their live performances led to a dedicated following across the U.S. and Europe, and a 1992 debut album, Frenching the Bully, showed all signs pointing to them as the next band to watch from Seattle.

But the future crashed down around the Gits when Zapata was murdered while walking home from a friends house in 1993. The loss of such a significant voice not only silenced an important band at the prime of its creativity, but also contributed to the slow erosion of the areas scene as a whole. Even worse for those closest to Zapata was the fact that police were unable to identify a suspect. For them, time and the legacy of the Gits hung in suspension for nearly a decade.

But in 2002, filmmaker Kerri OKane and her producing partner Jessica Bender began work on a documentary that hoped to break through the sadness that surrounded the Gits and shed light on the bands artistry. Through interviews with her family and bandmates, as well as friends and admirers like Joan Jett, Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and members of 7 Year Bitch, OKane was able to piece together a moving portrait of Zapata that transcended the tragedy of her final hours and showed her as a talent and an individual who wielded enormous influence on her community and loved ones.

Most amazing of all, while OKane and Bender were putting the finishing touches on the project Zapatas killer was arrested and convicted in 2004 thanks to innovations in DNA technology. The Gits has since gone on to receive acclaim from critics and audiences alike in national screenings and festivals, and is now available on DVD through Adrenaline/ADA; an accompanying CD, The Best of the Gits, has also been released through Adrenaline. Kerri OKane took time to talk to SuicideGirls about how Mias life and music have influenced her own life, as well as the struggle to bring her story to the screen.

Paul Gaita: In the movie, so many people speak about having a strong emotional reaction to hearing the Gits for the first time. What was your experience like?

Kerri OKane: Mine was similar. I was an outsider looking in, and Ill tell you, if I hadnt fallen in love with their music and with Mia, I wouldnt have been able to put all this time and money and energy into making this documentary. Thats not to say that I would have cared less about her, but they were such an amazing band, and I was so moved by Mias lyrics and her vocal presence. The way that she could sing was beyond anyone else that you hear today, as far as Im concerned. Its just one of those tragedies, full of what ifs and what would have been had she not been murdered. I was intensely moved, and I convinced my producer, Jessica Bender, that we should make this film. And we had to raise the money and pay for it ourselves.

PG: Steve Moriarty is quoted as saying that so many of the Gits fans though of her as their best friend. Did you feel any sense of kinship with her?

KOK: Its hard for me to say certainly I would like to boast and think that Mia is with me on some level, because I have such a passion for her, and I believed that her music was speaking to me, even though I know that she was speaking to everyone on a universal level. And in the process of doing this film, there was the realization of this tragedy that I would never be able to meet this woman. So in terms of feeling a kinship, I definitely feel a spiritual kinship. But I couldnt take anything away from her true friends, because she had so many. Her true best friend was Andy Kessler, the bands guitar player. I had to respect the bond that they developed with Mia, and their loss, and know when to step back.

PG: So how did you go from being a fan to actually launching a documentary about the band?

KOK: My whole goal was to see a film about Mia and the Gits. I really wanted to see it, because I was sure that someone must have made a film, and I wanted to see it because I was so enamored by her and the band. I thought they had so much talent that was unique they were a burgeoning rock band at a time when there were a lot of things happening in Seattle.

But when I saw that there hadnt already been a film made, it inspired me to make one because I didnt want Mias legacy or the Gits legacy about the lead singers murder. The Gits talent and music spoke volumes and I wouldnt have embarked on such a project especially one that was my first feature I mean, I didnt know what the hell I was doing [laughs], I was just going off passion. I just wanted to see anything and everything the Gits had done.

We realized that it was going to be an exercise in futility to try and raise money for the film, and we also had no experience in doing that. So we just decided to spread out the project over a long period of time Jessy Bender was going to pay for it, and I would contribute in the nominal way that I could, but she makes more money than I, so she was able to fund it herself.

Also, seeing Mias presence in Doug Prays film Hype! was a big inspiration. Thats an awesome documentary hes an amazing filmmaker and Ive learned so much from him. He was so kind and generous I explained to him what my goals were, and he said, Sure, Ill see what I have in my vault on the Gits, and you can use them for a small point on the project. After seeing his film, I really saw what an amazing band they were. They were an unsigned band, and Mia is such a powerhouse when coupled with Andy, Matt and Steve. I felt such a connection and such a presence Mia was just so unabashed.

PG: One of the most surprising aspects of the movie is just how much footage there is of the Gits beyond the scenes from Hype! Where did you get it?

KOK: Thats another reason why it took so long to make the movie. This woman came to us after a 2005 screening in the film and said, I love this film, but I have clips that are even better than what you have. And she had the scenes of Mia in the jester costume, which was taken at an event at the Weathered Wall in Seattle, which was just great. I love Doug Prays footage, but those scenes were beautiful. You got to see their sense of humor in those scenes. So it was people like that they came out of the woodwork and told us about this footage that they had, and we were able to use most of it. Im so proud that we have most of that. And Matt also said how glad he was that we had those scenes. That makes me happy, because I want this to be their legacy you know, when their kids grow up, they can look at it and say, Look what my dad did! Look at my aunt Mia!

PG: How long did it take to complete the film?

KOK: We started the project in 2002, before the killer was caught. And when that happened, there was a lot of pressure to release the film because of the press about the conviction. So we released the film in 2005, and got it into the Seattle Film Festival, but it was more or less a rough cut the film just wasnt ready.

PG: How did the two cuts differ?

KOK: The first cut is a less polished version of the final cut. We had to step back from the story itself, because I was becoming too emotionally involved. So we help from editors Lorena David, who owns Kingsize Entertainment and who is an amazing woman, offered to take a look at it and make it a more cohesive story. The core problem with the 2005 cut was that because the killer had just been caught, the question was how to balance the courtroom footage with the actual story. And there were a lot of holes in the 2005 version people wanted more information about how the Gits came to Seattle and about their influence on the music scene there. There was also no footage of Mia talking offstage, and that made it difficult for us show her to as a human being as well as a performer.

PG: How did you solve that?

KOK: We got people to talk more candidly about the murder and about the loss of her presence in her life. And I wanted them to talk about how much they enjoyed being with her she was very funny, and people wanted to be around her because she loved life so much. Overall, its taken us about six years. I realize that documentaries take a long time.

PG: Were you just shooting piecemeal for most of that time?

KOK: Exactly. Jessys mom and stepdad live in Queen Anne near Seattle, so they were able to put us up and let us use their car. The crew started out as just Jessy on sound shes done sound for about 20 years -- and I would shoot. Ive been a camera assistant for years and years. But we had a little snafu with the camera we were using, so we ended up getting Sean Kirby as director of photography (who won the 2005 Seattle Filmmakers Award for his work on the film). He got Zoo as a result of doing this movie. So it was really piecemeal in turns of funding and getting everyone together it was a nightmare [laughs].

PG: Danny Goldberg (former head of Atlantic and Warner Bros. Records; founder of Gold Mountain Management) is credited as executive producer on the film. How did he get involved?

KOK: We knew (associate producers) Ronnie Pontiac and Tamra Spivey, who were in a band called Lucid Nation. They played with Bikini Kill, Team Dresch they are an amazing band who has similar ethics as the Gits. So they approached us regarding possible funding through Danny Goldberg, who manages all these bands, and with whom they had a relationship. We sent him a copy of the film in 2007 while we were editing, and he loved it. He agreed to give us a certain amount of money to finish the editing, which arrived at a real period of dire straits for us we were running out of money and couldnt pay our bills. But he came through for us and he was familiar with the Gits through Tim Sommer, who worked for Atlantic and whos in the film. He wasnt an outsider who just handed over money he had a lot of passion for the band. And he was really happy to be involved.

PG: Theres a moment in which Matt Dresdner more or less implies that theyre not fond of talking to camera crews. How were you able to gain such access to the people in Mias life?

KOK: We wrote to Steve Moriarty, which was how he became a co-producer. We explained to him what we wanted to do, and he asked us to come to Seattle to meet with him. I thought that it would be just Jessy and I meeting with him, but it turned out to be with Andy Kessler as well. That was rare, because Andy doesnt do interviews hes been through so much.

He asked me at the meeting, Are you guys going to a Nick Broomfield investigative thing? As much as I respect Nick Broomfield, I assured him that we were not going to do that. He said, Well, good luck to you. I respect what youre doing, but Im not going to be in your film.

But over a period of time, we started to connect. He agreed to do some voice-overs, and when things werent going according to plan, he became very helpful. It wasnt until we got his approval, and from the other band members, that everyone else that we spoke to was okay with it as well.

PG: Was there any resistance from interviewees?

KOK: Mias mother was the only person who said that she didnt feel comfortable being in the film. Everyone was very leery of us at first. In doing the interviews, there were certain areas that people didnt want to go to. Since many of the interviews took place before the killer was caught, people still didnt know if it was someone they knew that had committed it. And we didnt want to pursue those things because it was detrimental to the bands goal was in terms of making the film, which was to not make it about the murder.

PG: The level of intimacy and warmth in the interviews is one of the most striking aspects of the film. How were you able to achieve that?

KOK: I think its because I was genuinely able to befriend a lot of the people we talked to. I respected each and every one of them. If they were a friend of Mias and knew her when the Gits were active, they were like God to me. I think that I offered them the respect that they deserved, but I also think that we also became friends.

PG: You were working on the film when the killers identity was revealed to the public. How did it affect you personally, and how did it affect the completion of the film?

KOK: It was bittersweet more sweet than bitter, because people knew who had done this to their friend, and that it wasnt one of them. There had been this air of what if it was someone we knew? for so long, and that really contributed to breaking up the scene that they were all involved in. I interviewed people that hadnt spoken to one another in a long time, because that subject made it so awkward. And then once the killer was caught, everyone that was involved in that scene suddenly starting talking again and it brought their relationships to a whole new level. It was an ending that I didnt expect, but it was something that let people get on with their lives. It was evil to see this person that did this to Mia, and horrible for me personally, but at the same time, it was a healing experience, and brought something to them that they didnt expect to see in their own lifetimes. I think that after ten years, they were resigned to the fact that they might never know what happened to their friend.

PG: Do you have a sense of how they are carrying on with their lives now that the killer is behind bars?

KOK: Again, Im an outsider. And I was interviewing these people up until the killer was caught, so I got them before and after that incident occurred, so my interpretation was that it allowed people to realize that Mia didnt die in vain. But I believe it brought them closer and allowed them to accept their own lives while keeping Mia in their hearts.

PG: In the liner notes to the Best of the Gits CD, Steve Moriarty mentioned that part of the film was shown during the trial.

KOK: What was shown during the trial was an approximately ten-minute piece thats since been put up on YouTube (titled Mia Zapata Sentencing Murder Trial Video). We had so many interviews and emotional testimony from people who couldnt be at the trial or couldnt give their testimony. We were able to put together a piece about peoples experiences with Mia. A lot of it is funny, some of it is inspiring, and some of it is very sad.

It went through a quandary the defense attorney wouldnt allow it, and the judge needed to look at it in order to see if it was legal to play it during the trial. And its great that it was allowed, because after the judge saw it, she gave the killer an extra ten years which is still being disputed today. He should have been put to death. Its just egregious that he only got 36.6 years, and theyre even fighting that.

It has some interviews that we didnt use in the film in their entirety. Im pretty proud of it, because we were able to catch some candor in the interviews. Mias sister held my hand throughout the whole screening when they showed it in the courtroom, and people laughed and cried in the courtroom. Im almost more proud of it than the feature film [laughs], because I was able to do something, do you know what I mean? I was able to show this bastard (something about Mia).

PG: Now that the film has reached theaters and is available on DVD, what has been the reaction from the people in her life?

KOK: There have been people that knew Mia and with whom Ive had a falling out. Like Ive said, Mia had a lot of friends, and a lot of them came out of the woodwork [when the film was released]. Some of them wanted it to speak more about Mias influence on the music scene of the time, which regrettably didnt have the leisure to do in the film. Others wanted me to speak more or less about the murder. And I understand all those reactions, but I was specifically guided by Andy, Matt and Steve in regard to the content. Its tough I regret that I wasnt able to put in everything about Mia, and certainly there was more that I could have put in.

PG: But any film thats based on a persons life or experiences or even on a book will have its detractors. Theres only so much room that you can allot to viewpoints in a single entity like that. Despite those reactions, would you say that the reaction has been mostly positive?

KOK: Definitely, especially since the 2005 cut. Weve been overwhelmed in regard to the response weve gotten. Weve done the festival circuit, and its been positive. Theres been some weirdness, as I mentioned, but Im grateful that people leave the theater remembering Mia. Thats the whole reason we did the film. I didnt want Mia or the Gits to go down like that I wanted to celebrate the music they made and not keeping rehashing the way died. I dont think she would want that.

For more information, visit thegitsmovie.com.