Hidden Figures (2016)
Hidden Figures (2016) is an American biographical drama film, directed and written by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder, respectively. The film brings to life the remarkable story of three female friends who worked in NASA’s African-American computing section at Langley during the intense American-Soviet space race of early 1961 to early 1962. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s non-fiction book of the same name, it sheds light on their overlooked yet monumental contributions to America’s advancements in space exploration. Despite facing obstacles due to their gender and race – a common reality in the still-segregated United States, including within NASA itself – these women defied expectations and made significant achievements. For instance, Mary Jackson, who was placed on the space capsule heat shield team, received encouragement from one of the engineers to apply for a senior engineering role, recognizing her expertise.
However, she faced a Catch-22 situation as she lacked the necessary qualifications for promotion and could not access extension courses in Hampton, where she lived. Dorothy Vaughan, a member of the African-American female computing section at NASA, faces multiple challenges. Her husband Levi Jackson, a civil rights activist, has a narrow perspective on the advancement of African-Americans. Meanwhile, she holds all the responsibilities of an acting supervisor without the title or associated pay. Dorothy believes this lack of promotion is due to her Caucasian supervisor, Vivian Mitchell. Despite these obstacles and with the recent purchase of the first IBM mainframe computer at NASA, Dorothy remains determined to make herself and her peers relevant in this changing era by self-teaching its workings.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Taraji P. HensonKatherine G. Johnson  Octavia SpencerDorothy Vaughan  Janelle MonaeMary Jackson  Kevin CostnerAl Harrison  Kirsten DunstVivian Mitchell  Jim ParsonsPaul Stafford  Mahershala AliCol. Jim Johnson  Aldis HodgeLevi Jackson  Glen PowellJohn Glenn |
Hidden Figures (2016) is an American biographical drama film, directed and written by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder, respectively. The film brings to life the remarkable story of three female friends who worked in NASA’s African-American computing section at Langley during the intense American-Soviet space race of early 1961 to early 1962. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s non-fiction book of the same name, it sheds light on their overlooked yet monumental contributions to America’s advancements in space exploration. Despite facing obstacles due to their gender and race – a common reality in the still-segregated United States, including within NASA itself – these women defied expectations and made significant achievements. For instance, Mary Jackson, who was placed on the space capsule heat shield team, received encouragement from one of the engineers to apply for a senior engineering role, recognizing her expertise.
However, she faced a Catch-22 situation as she lacked the necessary qualifications for promotion and could not access extension courses in Hampton, where she lived. Dorothy Vaughan, a member of the African-American female computing section at NASA, faces multiple challenges. Her husband Levi Jackson, a civil rights activist, has a narrow perspective on the advancement of African-Americans. Meanwhile, she holds all the responsibilities of an acting supervisor without the title or associated pay. Dorothy believes this lack of promotion is due to her Caucasian supervisor, Vivian Mitchell. Despite these obstacles and with the recent purchase of the first IBM mainframe computer at NASA, Dorothy remains determined to make herself and her peers relevant in this changing era by self-teaching its workings.
