Honoring icons: Santa Fe native Alexandria Bombach at the helm of 'Indigo Girls' documentary

Apr. 10—As a documentary filmmaker, Alexandria Bombach is used to the process taking plenty of time.

"It's a marathon," Bombach says. "There are so many different stages to it all, and each one takes time and you have to pay attention to every detail."

The Santa Fe native was honored to be at the helm of her latest documentary, "Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All." The film will be screened at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, through Thursday, April 18, at the Guild Cinema.

The film focuses on the 40 years of music making by the iconic folk-rock band Indigo Girls — Amy Ray and Emily Saliers.

The duo has made its mark as musicians, songwriters and dedicated activists.

They have represented radical self-acceptance to many, leading multiple generations of fans to say, "the Indigo Girls saved my life."

Still, Ray and Saliers battled misogyny, homophobia and a harsh cultural climate chastising them for not fitting into a female pop star mold.

"It felt so exciting at first," Bombach says of the project. "Then the burden of responsibility set in because the Indigo Girls mean so much to so many people. I wanted to do them justice."

Bombach met the Indigo Girls and the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in 2023.

"That's a long time to be terrified," Bombach says with a laugh. "I'm just really appreciative of how people seem to love it. With it getting a wider distribution in theaters, I'm looking forward to the film reaching more and more people."

Like many other fans, Bombach says the music of the Indigo Girls saved her life.

She knows she's not alone in the sentiment and she aimed to tell the story of how exactly music can save a life.

"First off, not being alone in your struggles is crucial for us to come to the other side of the pain, and that idea is at the core of this film — the importance of connection and community," Bombach says. "The love that emanates from the Indigo Girls' fan community is profound, to say the least. And unabashedly, I am right there with them. Seeing eyes light up at the mention of making this film was a thrill for me, and it was one of my treasured perks while tackling hundreds of hours of archive footage in the edit."

Bombach says the Indigo Girls' music has been the soundtrack to so many lives; through generations and culture shifts.

"They're iconic in so many ways, including being beloved queer icons," she says. "And yet, they were surprised I wanted to make this film about them. I am continuously blown away by their humility about it all. Several times I heard Amy over the wireless mic tell people who saw our cameras filming them, 'It's not just about us.' And in many ways, she was right.

Over 40 years of touring and pouring heart and soul into dozens of hit albums is a massive measure of success for any musician. But Amy and Emily also redefined success and stayed true to themselves despite a steep uphill battle with the status quo."

Bombach is quick to give credit to her editing team and to Ray for having footage from the duo's early years.

"Amy had a lot of footage in a basement stored away," she says. "There was a lot of stuff to go through. I think figuring out how to interweave everything was a challenge. It was a lot about their emotional education and how they came to be who they are. Weaving moments from the past to the present was a puzzle to figure it out."