“Not all trans stories are rooted in pain”: Meet the directors of the Hot Docs tribute to R&B legend Jackie Shane

At this year’s Hot Docs Festival, one film is paying tribute to a little-known hometown hero. Jackie Shane was a Black trans woman who burst onto Toronto’s R&B scene in the early 1960s and became a star with her hit single, “Any Other Way.” Yet she vanished from public view so suddenly that it was rumoured she had died. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, a new documentary from directors Lucah Rosenberg-Lee and Michael Mabbott, gets to the bottom of what happened. Rosenberg-Lee and Mabbott spoke to us about Shane’s legacy, her contributions to Toronto’s sound and why her story is so crucial right now.

How were you introduced to Jackie?
Lucah Rosenberg-Lee: This film introduced me to her, which is surprising—as a Black trans guy, I thought I knew a lot about trans history. Michael Mabbott: My journey with Jackie started about 12 years ago, when I first heard her extraordinary album, Jackie Shane Live, which was recorded in Toronto in the mid-’60s. I learned that Shane had disappeared in the 1970s under mysterious circumstances. Then, in 2017, there was a reissue of her music with her consent. Just like that, we found out she was alive and living in Nashville.

Where did you go from there?
MM: I knew music anthropologist Rob Bowman from a previous film I’d done, and it turned out that he was writing the liner notes on the album reissue. Through him, I was connected to Jackie. She and I started having hours-long phone calls every week—the longest was 11 hours straight. Those conversations became the backbone of the film.

How did you go about putting the film together?
MM: Jackie and I talked a lot about how a film about her should look and feel. She would recommend movies, and we’d watch them together. Then she would tell me what she found important about them. We had a beautiful year-long relationship where she really let me in, which was a great honour. And then, in 2019, right after she agreed to make the movie, she passed away. LRL: We listened to the tapes of those calls together and thought about what parts we should highlight and how to best use all of the archival material that was out there. MM: Jackie’s aesthetic was quite clear. I saw Luca’s film, Passing, and I thought it had the essence of a lot of things Jackie held dear. It’s very intimate and truthful. Having him involved made perfect sense.

How does the doc build on each of your previous work?
LRL: In Passing, I went into my own experience of living stealth. I didn’t tell anybody I was trans for five years, similar to Caldwell and Jackie. I was afraid I wouldn’t get a job or be able to do “normal” things, but eventually I realized it was more important to live my truth than to pretend it didn’t exist. With this film, I wanted to tell a trans story that wasn’t just focused on transitioning. We also explored the grey areas of Jackie’s life. This is a story about a trans person, but it’s also a lot more than that. MM: I’m fascinated by people with the artistic integrity to demand the freedom to be who they are, no matter the cost—and the costs can be high. Jackie was one of those people, and what she did gives me strength every day.

The film is co-produced by PageBoy Productions, with Elliott Page himself serving as an executive producer. What was it like working with him?
LRL: Before we started filming, we talked to producers about the project, and one of them was PageBoy. They’re all about creating trans-centred films, and they loved the story. They’ve been really helpful partners, both in terms of tweaking the narrative and getting the film out into the world. MM: Our job as filmmakers was to bring Jackie’s voice to life and to have it heard. Elliott has been such a champion, amplifying Jackie’s voice and getting us into the right rooms.

Another star, Sandra Caldwell, portrays Jackie in the present day. How did she get involved?
LRL: Michael had Sandra in mind for a while. She’s a Black trans woman, like Jackie, so we thought they might have had similar life experiences, but we were surprised by just how much they had in common. Like Jackie, Sandra was stealth for a lot of her career and has been out only these past few years. She was excited to be able to draw from her own story, and she brought so much life to Jackie. Jackie’s story features several Toronto venues—El Mocambo, the Saphire Tavern.

How did she contribute to the city’s music scene?
MM: She was huge. She had a hit here with “Any Other Way” and was recognized as a bona fide star. But, for many people, that story has been forgotten. This is a continuation of the legacy she always should have had. Part of Jackie’s reason for leaving Toronto was that she had to leave the stage and the spotlight in order to live truly. It means a lot to present it at Hot Docs cinema—Jackie played up and down Bloor West.

The film details Jackie’s relationship with her mother figure, Jessie, who is actually her aunt. Were you struck by how accepting she was when Jackie began to transition as a teenager in the 1950s?
LRL: I’m adopted, so I’m all about building connections outside of one’s immediate family. Knowing you can get that level of support from people, even if they’re not your biological parents, can build us up in many ways. Jessie built that confidence for Jackie, starting when she was a child. That’s something a lot of LGBTQ people don’t get from their parents. I hope people see what it can look like when we love and support one another.

Why is this an important story to tell now?
LRL: We need to break the narrative that all trans stories are rooted in pain and rejection. As Jackie’s story shows, there’s hope and talent here too.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.