The Gits Movie: Offical Movie Website for the Seattle Band

When Jessy and I first heard The Gits, we both knew that this band was truly unique and innately talented. Here is the story of how The Gits film began:

Late one night in 2001, I was going through some books I had purchased for research on a documentary I was working on at the time. In so doing, I discovered an organization called "Home Alive". After reading further about this nonprofit collective, there was a name, Mia Zapata, and a dedication to her. What a cool name I thought and who was this woman? After surfing the net and finding dozens of sites about her it was clear that Mia was the singer of The Gits, and sadly, no longer with us. A flood of emotions streamed through me as I read the articles and dedications and learned about what happened to Mia Zapata. The information I read ripped my heart out yet, having not heard The Gits, I pined the rest of the night anticipating my journey to Tower Records. Finally, 9:00 am approached and I blazed up to the store. There in the back of the store, sort of obscured by the latest music hype, I found it, "Seafish Louisville: The Gits." My heart palpitated as the cd revolved in the player of my car. I sat there silently as a slowly building riff echoed out of the speakers, then, there was a voice, a beautiful incomparable voice, "I woke up this morning, dizzy in my brain . . .". That was all I needed to hear to know that I was about to go on a journey of a lifetime. From that point on, it has indeed become a remarkable journey that I will never forget.

Kerri O'Kane, Director

KERRI O’KANE (director) Upon graduation from San Francisco State University’s advanced film program, Kerri O’Kane moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking as a means to release angst, uncertainty, joy and grief. She has directed three music videos and a short film, Walking Wounded, that documents her emotional journey with chemotherapy and ovarian cancer. While battling cancer, O’Kane found solace in the music of the punk rock band, The Gits. Upon discovering that an unknown killer had ruthlessly murdered their talented lead singer, Mia Zapata, she felt compelled to tell their story. The Gits is O’Kane’s feature film debut.

JESSICA BENDER (producer) Jessica Bender graduated from Indiana University in 1991 with a B.A. in Comparative Literature with an emphasis in Film Studies. When not working on her own independent projects, she works as a sound technician in the film industry. Some of her credits include: The Prestige, Anchorman, Red Eye, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, House MD and Six Feet Under. Bender has produced three music videos and a documentary short prior to The Gits. She is compelled to tell stories that impact people’s lives.

SEAN KIRBY (director of photography)
Sean Kirby is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts with a degree in painting. After graduating, Sean attended the New York Film Academy where he learned to combine his artistic understanding of light with the techniques and equipment used in motion picture production. His first credit as a director of photography for “Fidelis” won the award for best short at the 1998 Hampton Film Festival. Sean’s first 35mm anamorphic feature film, “Police Beat,” directed by Robinson Devor, premiered in the dramatic competition of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and was praised by national film critics labeling it “sensationally gorgeous,” (Variety), “emotionally devastating,” (New York Times) and “one gorgeous widescreen image after another” (Film Threat). It was also named one of that year’s best films by the New York Times, Film Comment and Art Forum. At the 2005 Seattle International Film Festival, Sean won the Seattle Filmmaker’s Award for both his cinematography on “Police Beat” and on the documentary “The Gits. ” Most recently, Sean divides his time between commercial work and independent film production nationally and internationally. His most recent credits are “Marvelous” (directed by Siofra Campbell) which starred Ewan Bremmer, Martha Plympton and Amy Ryan and “Cthulhu” (directed by Dan Gildark) which starred Jason Cottle, Cara Buono and Tori Spelling. Currently, Sean has just completed photography for Robinson Devor’s latest project titled “Zoo” which is premiering at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in the Documentary Competition. (distribution by THINKFILM).
Sean lives in New York City and is represented by Rebecca Fayyad at the Sheldon Prosnit Agency in Los Angeles.

LORENA DAVID (editor) has been editing for over 13 years. Opening Kingsize Post Production in 1994, she went on to be a main editor before turning her career sights on producing and directing indie films. Her editing work includes editing documentaries, award-winning shorts, industrials and indie features. She has directed four feature films including “Extreme Dating” which was released by Wayer Home video. She has produced seven other films including “Strangers With Candy” and “Danika” starring Marisa Tomei. Lorena grew up in Palos Verdes near “The Gits” director Kerri O’Kane and the two met while freshman at UCSD. Lorena’s long time boyfriend is co-editor Allan Wall.
ALLAN WALL (editor) has edited several documentaries, fictional films, and TV Shows for the Playboy Network. He has yet to figure out which uncover more truths about the human condition. He found working with Kerri, Jessy, and Lori to be a life changing experience... for the better.