Prepare for a soaring, inspiring and mentally-challenging ride in the Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures” starring Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst.
At last, the story of a visionary trio of women who crossed gender, race and professional lines on their way to pioneering cosmic travel comes to the screen in “Hidden Figures” that uncovers the incredible, untold yet true story of a brilliant group of women who changed the foundations of the country for the better -- by aiming for the stars. The film recounts the vital history of an elite team of black female mathematicians at NASA who helped win the all-out space race against America’s rivals in the Soviet Union and, at the same time, sent the quest for equal rights and opportunity rocketing forwards.
Katherine G. Johnson (played by Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae), the chance to use their knowledge, passion and skills opened up just as the demands of their work in NASA. Whenever NASA is in need of numbers, they call on their team to solve all mathematical problems being faced at such time. Director Theodore Melfi explains: “For NASA, at that moment in time, brains were more important than race or sex. These were brilliant women who could do the math they needed, who were hungry for a chance, who really wanted the opportunity to change their lives – so who else were they going to turn to?”