The Canal Street Madam (working title) is a feature length documentary profile of Jeanette Maier, the Canal Street Madam of New Orleans who was arrested in a high profile FBI bust for running a brothel in collaboration with her mother and daughter. Shot over five years, this verité film chronicles Jeanette and her family after her release from prison in 2004 up until her 50th birthday.

Jeanette Maier in the News

(Selected Links)

Larry Flynt.com

MSNBC

CBS NEWS

Mridu Chandra

Producer

Mridu has been producing social issue documentaries and narrative films for the past decade. Four of her films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and one of her documentaries was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to screen in their 2005 Contemporary Documentary Series. She co-produced Brother Outsider about late civil rights and peace activist Bayard Rustin, and produced Let the Church Say, Amen, a verité film about faith and self-empowerment in Washington D.C.  Both films aired on public television and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.  Most recently, she has produced the feature length narrative film Poundcake which premiered at the AFI-LA Film Festival.   She teaches film courses as Adjunct Faculty in the Graduate Media Studies MA program at The New School, at NYU in the SCPS’s Department of Design, Digital Arts, and Film, and also in the NYC “Made in NY PA training Program,” which provides entry level job training to students from diverse backgrounds as they enter the NYC film industry.

Jeanette’s highly public arrest, trial, and sentence sparked a national debate about the hypocrisy of sentencing the prostitute but not the john.  While evoking the usual interest in sex scandals, many also noted the irony of the FBI focusing attention on a brothel at the time that our country was attacked by terrorists. 

The Canal Street Madam offers an intimate look at Jeanette Maier’s story, and it reveals the confusion, the denial, and the duplicity our society still faces when talking about sexuality. Abandoned by the men who supported her, but inspired by her newfound activism in the sex worker rights movement, Jeanette fights for her rights, seeks employment outside the sex industry, and reunites her family.

Contribute to the Project Now

We are currently in post-production of our documentary and are seeking funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations in order to help us finish the film this year!

Contributions are now tax-deductible, as FILM FORUM is our fiscal sponsor.

To donate by credit card, click here.  Or to donate by check, please send a check made payable to The Moving Image, Inc. with “The Canal Street Madam” written in the memo section to:

Chad Bolton, General Manager

Re: Fiscal Sponsorship

Film Forum

209 West Houston St.

New York, NY 10014

We appreciate your support in any amount you are able to contribute. 

If you are willing to host a screening of the film sample in your home as a fundraiser, please contact us to discuss organizing an event. 

Sakae Ishikawa

Editor

Sakae began her editing career as a staff assistant editor at Maysles Films Inc, working with esteemed editors such as Deborah Dickson, Charlotte Zwerin,  Bob Eisenhardt, and Bruce Sinofsky.  Her credits include Todd Haynes’ acclaimed independent film “Safe” (first assistant), 1997 Academy Award nominated “Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse” (associate editor), 2003 Sundance entry “The Education of Gore Vidal” (editor), NY Times Television programs  “Raising the Flag”(editor) and “Battle Plan Under Fire”(editor), 2009 SXSW entry “Still Bill” (editor), 2009 PBS’ Global Voices episode “Witnesses to a Secret War” (editor), and 2009 Sundance entry “Quest for Honor” (contributing editor).

Creative Team