ABOUT THE FILM

The Janes

In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago where seven women who were part of a clandestine network were arrested and charged. Using code names, fronts and safe houses to protect themselves and their work, the accused had built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions. They called themselves Jane.

Directed by Oscar®-nominee Tia Lessin (HBO’s “Trouble the Water”) and Emmy®-nominee Emma Pildes (HBO’s “Jane Fonda in Five Acts”), THE JANES offers first-hand accounts from the women at the center of the group, many speaking on the record for the first time.

THE JANES tells the story of a group of unlikely outlaws. Defying the state legislature that outlawed abortion, the Catholic Church that condemned it, and the Chicago Mob that was profiting from it, the members of Jane risked their personal and professional lives to save women’s lives. During the five years before the Roe v. Wade ruling –– a time when abortion was a crime in most states and even circulating information about abortion was a felony in Illinois –– the Janes provided low-cost and free abortions to an estimated 11,000 women.

  • Tia Lessin

    DIRECTOR

    info@elsewherefilms.org

    Tia Lessin was nominated for an Academy Award for her work as a director and producer of the Hurricane Katrina survival story Trouble the Water, winner of the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Gotham Independent Film Award. She directed and produced Citizen Koch, about the rise of the Tea Party in the Midwest, which also premiered at Sundance and was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2014. THE JANES is the third feature-length documentary that Tia has directed. In 2001, Tia received the Sidney Hillman Award for Broadcast Journalism for directing the documentary short Behind the Labels about the labor trafficking of garment workers on U.S. Saipan.

    Tia was on the producing teams of Palme D’Or winning Fahrenheit 9/11, Academy Award-winning Bowling for Columbine, and the Grammy-winning No Direction Home: Bob Dylan. She produced the film Where to Invade Next and executive produced Fahrenheit 11/9. Her work on the 1998/99 television series The Awful Truth earned her two Emmy nominations, one arrest, and a lifetime ban from Disneyland.

  • Emma Pildes

    DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

    Emmy-nominated filmmaker Emma Pildes has an extensive background in, and boundless love for, non- fiction storytelling. THE JANES is Emma's directorial debut. As one of Pentimento Productions' principal producers, Emma produced Spielberg, Jane Fonda in Five Acts, and Very Ralph -- all for HBO Documentary Films. Spielberg had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival in 2017 and was later nominated for an Emmy. Jane Fonda in Five Acts had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and its international premiere at Cannes Film Festival. The film was nominated for the 2019 Emmys.

    At PBS’ American Masters, Emma helped to produce the Emmy and Peabody-award winning LennoNYC, Emmy-award winning Inventing David Geffen, as well as American Masters: Billie Jean King. Born and raised in Chicago, Emma graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and is based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

  • Daniel Arcana

    Producer

    Daniel is an independent producer, writer and creative strategist with over 25 years of professional experience in content creation and brand marketing. In addition to co-developing and co-producing THE JANES for Pentimento Productions, Daniel is a consulting producer for Doc Shop Productions, where he co-developed TNT’s AMERICAN RACE documentary series featuring Charles Barkley, the Netflix documentary Series AFFLICTED and the feature film #UNFIT: The Dangerous Mind of Donald Trump.

    Daniel is also the co-founder and former President of Exopolis, a multi award-winning creative agency and motion graphics studio; best known for creating the original network launch of NICKTOONS and its work for Apple, including the global launches of both the original iPhone and the iPod “colors” campaign.

  • Alison Byrne Fields

    Aggregate Creative Strategy

    Alison is an impact producer who has worked with award-winning filmmakers like Kim Reed (DARK MONEY), David France (WELCOME TO CHECHNYA), and Robert Greene (PROCESSION) on campaigns that have led to real social and policy change. As a strategic consultant to the abortion care community — providers, advocacy organizations, philanthropic foundations, researchers — Alison is well-versed in the movement’s needs. She is also the former Creative Director and Chief Strategist for Rock the Vote and a youth voter outreach advisor to numerous political campaigns.

    Aggregate will take the lead on defining the states we will target, getting input from strategists in the abortion care community and others on the ground who have already compiled information about likely weaknesses and potential opportunities in the courts, in state legislatures, and in governor’s mansions.

    As experts in strategic partnership development, Aggregate will also identify national and local partners — voter registration and mobilization groups, community organizers, community-based organizations, abortion rights groups — to serve as screening hosts and panelists.

We also want to say a very special THANK YOU to Chicken & Egg Pictures whose generous support helped to kick start THE JANES engagement campaign.

  • “Frighteningly timely and powerfully persuasive, The Janes offers a unique opportunity to look back at a pivotal chapter in American history through the eyes of those who helped define it.”

  • “These women were outlaws. They were also heroes, and it's high time more people recognized them as such. The Janes is a great start.”

  • “Not only a crucial part of the historical record but a searingly contemporary film about the power of mutual aid and collective action.”

  • “The lesson from The Janes is that, in the absence of justice and political power, there's enormous potential for collective action.”

  • “In this sobering HBO documentary, the group members recall their achievements with admirable candor and great heart.”

  • “What really resonates are the memories of women helping women by talking openly about the specific economic and health concerns that the male-dominated establishment typically ignored.”

  • “Even if you’re well versed in the history of Roe v. Wade, this film will likely shock you. Especially given that half a century later, the cultural, religious and political war over abortion still rages.”

  • “The revealing documentary, The Janes proves -- if there were any doubt -- that sisterhood is powerful.”

  • “The Janes takes needful steps in presenting an unflinching portrait of what a country without Roe looks like. In short: Catastrophic for all bodies capable of pregnancy, but especially for poor and working-class people of color.”