Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction next Tuesday, October 19 (and elsewhere the rest of the month – see below): THE CANAL STREET MADAM
Earlier this year, I was pleased to come onboard as a Co-Producer of the feature documentary debut project of my good friend and former NewFest colleague, Cameron Yates. THE CANAL STREET MADAM had its World Premiere in Competition at SXSW, and has also screened at Hot Docs, BAMcinemaFEST, and Provincetown. After a summer hiatus, we’re bringing the film back to festivals this month: in addition to STF’s screening next Tuesday, the team is headed to our subject’s stomping grounds, New Orleans for screenings at NOLA’s own film festival, then onto the Philadelphia Film Festival next week, and caps off this month with our European premiere at the Rome Film Festival.
I’m obviously biased here, but I hope you get a chance to see the film. It tells the story of Jeanette Maier, a former New Orleans madam who ran an infamous brothel alongside her mother, at which her own daughter, Monica, worked. Yates befriended Maier after learning about the FBI raid that shut down her lucrative business serving the political and business elite of not only New Orleans but of other major US cities, and followed her for more than six years as she told her story and found herself developing into a politically aware activist for the decriminalization of prostitution. We’re very proud of the film – check out the trailer on our website, and come to a screening!
what (not) to doc 