The Canal Street Madam Trailer (2010)

Trailer for the documentary The Canal Street Madam.

The Canal Street Madam 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’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 her clients, but inspired by the sex worker rights movement, Jeanette fights for her rights and reunites her family.