Echo's Answer

“Echo’s Answer” is a psychedelic reimagining of the life and work of the late visionary singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trish Keenan told through the eyes and ears of contemporary artists. Keenan's experimental electronic band, Broadcast, recorded five studio albums, toured internationally, and invented a new musical genre, but they did not find much commercial success. However, the popular wisdom about The Velvet Underground applies here: they “didn’t sell many records, but everyone who bought one went out and started a band.”

Tragically, Trish Keenan contracted the H1N1 virus while on tour in Australia, which led to her developing pneumonia. After two weeks in the hospital back home in England, Trish died January 14, 2011, at age 42. However, Trish’s, and Broadcast’s, story does not end there. The phrase “Echo’s Answer” is not only the name of one of Broadcast’s songs, but also captures how their influence continues to reverberate today. Despite never attaining mainstream success, the enchanting world that Keenan created lives on through Broadcast’s fans, especially musicians. This feature-length, experimental hybrid doc is the answer to that echo. Interweaving dreamy visions of Keenan’s life and work with interviews with female and nonbinary-identifying musicians who have been inspired by Trish's idiosyncratic innovations, it bridges past with present.

In order to crystallize the kaleidoscopic legacy of Trish Keenan and Broadcast, the narrative structure will follow two timelines: one based on ideas, recollections, guesses, and even dreams about Keenan’s life and art. The second, fact-based and chronologically accurate, will follow modern-day tales of artists who listened to and were inspired by Broadcast and how their musical trajectory evolved from there. The film will exist in a liminal space, dipping in and out of each reality and putting them in conversation with each other. Formally, “Echo’s Answer” will reflect Broadcast’s recording style. Just as Broadcast used a blend of contemporary and archaic audio technology, this film will blend digital and analog filmmaking techniques.