From the all-girl "Runaways" to the "Blackhearts," Joan Jett's independent spirit and musical style have made her a role model for a generation. Pop culture and cinema authority John Alberti will lead the post-film discussion about the times, the person and women's emerging role in music.
   Joan Jett put in hard work long before the fame, ripping it up onstage as the backbone of the hard-rock legends The Runaways, influencing many musicians – both her cohort of punk rockers and generations of younger bands – with her no-BS style. Bad Reputation gives you a wild ride as Jett and her close friends tell you how it really was in the '70s punk scene and after, and their interviews are laced with amazing archival footage. The theme is clear: even though people tried to define Jett and hold her down, she never compromised.

From the director, KEVIN KERSLAKE:
   "Joan Jett is the essence of rock and roll. A dark and dingy club filled with the hormonal roar of longing and desperation and f--k yes. A stadium filled with thousands of fans with their fists in the air. A serious musician working on a song alone in her bedroom who won't let a lick or lyric rest till it's just right. A machine who has such perfect timing that she don't need no stinking click track. An alley cat whose iconic howl is either mother's milk or a call to arms, or both, for millions of people across the world. An atomic, three-chord burst of guitar that is a thousand punches in the gut and may I please have another, sir, I mean ma'am?"

ABOUT JOAN JETT
   Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, with whom she became a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she's had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Crimson and Clover." Her independent record label, Blackheart Records, was founded in 1980 after she was rejected by no less than 23 labels. Blackheart is one of the longest running indie labels and continues to give voice to new bands.
   Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. "I Hate Myself for Loving You" was adapted for NBC's Sunday Night Football theme song – "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" – and was performed for 9 seasons by the likes of Pink, Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood. Her music is heard in countless films and TV shows, she has acted in movies and television, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical.
   Since co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett's determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. She was able to see her story told in The Runaways, the film based on (lead singer of The Runaways) Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and her fellow A-lister Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project: She served as an executive producer. Jett and the Blackhearts released their latest record, 'Unvarnished,' in 2013 and continue touring the globe.
   Joan Jett has spent her lifetime breaking barriers and challenging expectations - this is, after all, a woman who is both a spokesperson for humane treatment of animals and a devoted supporter of the US Military. She's fought hard for all of her historic accomplishments, yet she remains humble and appreciative.