SILVER

Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) were three brilliant African-American women working for NASA in the early 1960s, who overcame institutional racism and sexism to help achieve one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence in the Space Race. The film is a window into the growth of the federal workforce pursuant to President Roosevelt's Executive Order 8802, which banned "discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color or national origin." Nominated for three Oscars®, including Best Picture. DIR/PROD Theodore Melfi; SCR Allison Schroeder, from the book by Margot Lee Shetterly; PROD Peter Chernin, Donna Gigliotti, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams. U.S., 2016, color, 127 min. RATED PG

AFI Member passes accepted.