SOLD OUT — 2017 DOC WEEK: I AM JANE DOE

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT — PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE THEATER FOR A WAITLIST OR TICKETS. PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US FOR ANOTHER FILM DURING OUR DOC WEEK.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

The film will be accompanied by a panel discussion featuring director Mary Mazzio, Yiota Souras, and more.

I Am Jane Doe chronicles the epic battle that several American mothers are waging on behalf of their middle-school daughters, victims of sex trafficking on Backpage.com, the classified advertising website that for years was part of the iconic Village Voice. Reminiscent of Erin Brockovich and Karen Silkwood, these mothers have stood up on behalf of thousands of other mothers, fighting back and refusing to take no for an answer.

The Jane Doe plaintiffs featured in the film include middle school girls from Boston, a 15-year-old violinist from Seattle, and a precocious 13-year-old girl from St. Louis. The documentary follows the journey of these young girls and their mothers in real time as they run headlong into a collision course not only with Backpage but with judges, special interest groups, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, an internet freedom law that provides a safe haven for website publishers to advertise underage girls for sex.

The film also features the attorneys involved in the various lawsuits, including a criminal defense lawyer working out of a strip mall in Washington State and a senior partner in one of the oldest white-shoe law firms in the country (Ropes & Gray) from Massachusetts. The film includes interviews with Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), as well as former editors and writers from the Village Voice, ex-CIA analysts, FBI agents, and others involved with these cases.

I Am Jane Doe is a gut-wrenching human story and fresh look at a social and legal issue that affects every community in America.

Panel members

Mary Mazzio

Mary Mazzio, an award-winning documentary film director, Olympic athlete, and former law firm partner, is Founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, Inc., an independent film production company dedicated to making socially impactful films. Mary wrote, directed and produced the highly-acclaimed films, Underwater Dreams, TEN9EIGHT, The Apple Pushers, A Hero for Daisy, Contrarian, Apple Pie, and Lemonade Stories.

Yiota Souras

Yiota Souras is Senior Vice President, General Counsel for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). As General Counsel, Ms. Souras manages and provides legal guidance on all legal matters arising from NCMEC’s unique non-profit mission to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. She also serves as Assistant Secretary to the Board of Directors and oversees legislative and policy-related matters for the organization.

Rebecca Dince Zipkin & Alexi Ashe Meyers

Rebecca Dince Zipkin and Alexi Ashe Meyers are both attorneys with Sanctuary for Families, New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking and related forms of gender violence. Rebecca and Alexi are also a co-chair of the New York State Anti Trafficking Coalition. Prior to joining Sanctuary for Families, Rebecca and Alexi were both Assistant District Attorneys with the Brooklyn DA’s office Special Victims Bureau and Human Trafficking Bureau. Rebecca has spoken at schools around the NYC area about sexual violence on college campuses. Alexi is named one of New York’s New Abolitionists for her work in anti-trafficking. 

Aaron Katz

Aaron Katz is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s government enforcement practice. He represents corporate and individual clients in high stakes litigation and investigations involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health care delivery, energy, insurance, real estate, and finance. Aaron has earned numerous awards for his work, including being named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Under 40 Hot List” in 2016 and 2017, to the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list in 2014, and a Law360 “Legal Lion” in July 2014 and April 2016 for his successful criminal trial representations of BP engineer Kurt Mix and real estate developer Dustin DeNunzio.

Aaron has a robust pro bono practice, including representing torture victims before the United States Immigration Court, law professors and retired Article III judges as amici before the United States Supreme Court, death row inmates in both state and federal post-conviction proceedings, and victims of child sex trafficking in highly publicized litigation against Backpage.com.

“A clear-eyed and pressing work of advocacy journalism.” -Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter

“[A] sobering, often sickening, bluntly effective piece of advocacy cinema” -Ann Hornaday, Washington Post