“Fanny: The Right to Rock” is a documentary about the first all-women rock band ever to release an LP with a major record label.

They started with two Filipina-American sisters and their teenage girlfriends in the 60’s. The band went on to record five albums in five years and toured with famous bands such as Slade and Chicago.

The film highlights just how unusual Fanny was during its time – women playing instruments, specifically in a rock band, was extremely rare.

“Discovering Fanny was kind of like a surprise,” said James Lichtenberg, a former music critic for The New York Times. “It’s like if you were going to see classical paintings, and all of a sudden, there was a Van Gogh right in the middle of a totally realistic set of paintings.” 

The documentary also shows the fears some of the band members had when talking about their sexuality.

“Being a lesbian, I knew the society was totally against it, in the sense that it was really dangerous, ” said June Millington, guitarist of Fanny. “You could lose everything,”

In the documentary three of the band’s members decided to reunite after 50 years and release a new album called “Fanny Walked the Earth.” But one week before their first show, Jean Millington, the band’s bass player, suffered a severe stroke, which caused the band to postpone the tour.

“Fanny: The Right to Rock” tells the story of how the band became a pioneer for all the women bands that came after them. Their fearlessness created a door for future musicians.

San Diego City College is hosting a screening of the documentary on March 17 at 9:30 a.m.

It will be followed by a discussion with film director Bobbi Jo Hart, guitarist June Millington and drummer Brie Darling. The event will be on campus in room C210 or on Zoom.