In 1917, after using her husband’s political connections to further her suffrage agenda, a renowned stage actress and the National Woman’s Party are unlawfully incarcerated, tortured, beaten and force-fed, as they fight to win women’s right to vote.

SYNOPSIS:

Izetta is based on a historical figure named Izetta Jewel. She was a renowned stage actress and fierce advocate for women’s suffrage. She was also part of a horrific event, historically call the “Night of Terror.”

On Nov. 14, 1917, picketing on the White House steps led to the unlawful imprisonment of 41 suffragist, including Izetta. These women were not thrown in a regular jail. They were thrown in a men’s workhouse, where they were beaten, tortured, force-fed, and worse. Some women were left for dead after the beatings. Some were “forcibly examined” by male prison doctors. Some were locked in dark cells for days without food, water or light, then thrown into rooms with the criminally insane. This abuse went on for weeks.

President Wilson knew what was going on but refused to step in until he saw a newspaper article about the abuse. He couldn’t risk the foreign press getting ahold of the story -- and the whole world to know how we treat our women who were just standing up for their rights. Soon after, the women were released from prison, and the president’s support led the way to pass the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote.