Noted documentary filmmakers, along with activist, will join audience for “The Janes”

“The Janes” is a documentary film about an underground network of women in Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s who provided safe, affordable, illegal abortions to approximately 11,000 women in need.

By Elizabeth Shepherd • August 4, 2022 1:30 am

Vashon Theatre and Vashon Center for the Arts have joined together to co-present an evening in two parts — a free screening of the documentary film, “The Janes,” followed by a ticketed event to meet the filmmakers, directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes, for a timely conversation about their urgent and relevant documentary that examines women’s reproductive rights during the pre-Roe vs. Wade era.

Joining the filmmakers will be one of the women whose lives are depicted in the film, Judith Arcana.

The film event will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, at Vashon Theatre, with the free screening of “The Janes.”

Immediately after the screening, Lessin, Pildes and Arcana will be joined by host Charlie Siskel, a documentary filmmaker, lawyer and Vashon resident, who will join them in conversation about their film. Tickets to the discussion are $15 to $20.

“The Janes” is the story of an underground network of women in Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s who provided safe, affordable, illegal abortions to approximately 11,000 women in need.

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 all 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 of the women at the center of the group, many speaking on the record for the first time.

The film 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 profited from it, the members of the Janes collective risked their personal and professional lives to help women in need.

For tickets to the discussion, visit vashontheatre.com.