Award-Winning Filmmaker Hosts Special Oakdale Screening Featuring Bachmann, Romney

An award-winning filmmaker who is on a three-week tour is bringing her movie to Oakdale to give a different perspective on the GOP campaign trail leading up to the Iowa Caucuses.

Janeane from Des Moines will have a special screening at Carmike Cinemas in Oakdale on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Written and directed by Grace Lee, the drama is co-written with and stars Jane Edith Wilson as Janeane, a conservative Iowa housewife who seeks answers from the Republican presidential candidates during the actual 2012 Iowa Caucuses.

Wilson has appeared in several popular TV shows, including ER, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld. 

Lee described the film to Oakdale Patch as a "mix of fiction and non-fiction." The film revolves around the fictional character, Janeane, who interacts with actual GOP politicians on the campaign trail leading up to the Iowa Caucuses last summer. 

The film features Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry.

"We're basically shooting a fictional movie during real-life events that are unfolding," Lee said. "It's supplemented with scripted scenes to fill out her back story with work and church, but Jane Wilson is improvising with the candidates on the campaign trail. They don’t know they are in the movie." 

ABC News unknowingly featured Wilson's character, “Janeane," in a Jan. 3 segment in which she was consoled by Mitt Romney as she begged him to “save the small families of America.”

The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival in September and has been picking up national media attention via The New York Times, CNN, NPR and other media. 

"This looks at the undecided voter who is a middle-aged woman—who is also the key swing voter in this election," Lee said. "You get the perspective of the campaign trail through the eyes of an ordinary voter and I think that is very compelling for many audiences." 

Lee and Wilson are currently on a swing-state tour where the film is being screened in several states, including Minnesota, Iowa, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin and Ohio, among others. 

Lee said she chose to visit Oakdale since Bachmann has ties to the area.

"Janeane has a 10-minute interaction with Michele Bachmann on the campaign trail, so we wanted to make sure to invite Michele Bachmann to the screening," Lee said. "We'd love for her to participate in the Q&A that follows the film and talk about  the issues the film raises, including women’s issues, healthcare, gay and lesbian rights, jobs and campaigning for president."

Lee has also been utilizing TUGG—an online tool that allows movie goers to choose the films they want shown in their communities—to help determine where to show the film. A minimum of 75 tickets are required to screen the movie. To reserve tickets to the screening click here.

Visit the film's website for more information. The film's trailer is featured above with the photos. 

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