In 2015, producer Donna Gigliotti acquired Margot Lee Shetterly's nonfiction book Hidden Figures, about a group of Black female mathematicians that helped NASA win the Space Race. The book takes place from the 1930s through the 1960s when some viewed women as inferior to men. The finished set did not include Johnson. He later apologizes and begins spending time with Katherine and her three daughters. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name, “Hidden Figures” tells the true-life stories of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn, a trio of Black female NASA scientists who played essential roles in the U.S. space program during … She delivers the results to the control room, and Harrison allows her inside. In 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act that posthumously awarded the honor to Jackson, who passed away in 2005, and her “Hidden Figures” colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Christine Darden. NASA will honor the "Hidden Figure" legend Mary W. Jackson in a building-naming ceremony. The website's critical consensus reads, "In heartwarming, crowd-pleasing fashion, Hidden Figures celebrates overlooked—and crucial—contributions from a pivotal moment in American history. White supervisor Vivian Mitchell assigns Katherine to assist Al Harrison's Space Task Group, given her skills in analytic geometry. On the day of the launch, discrepancies are found in the IBM 7090 calculations, and Katherine is asked to check the capsule's landing coordinates. [36], John Glenn, who was about a decade older than depicted at the time of launch, did ask specifically for Johnson[37] to verify the IBM calculations, although she had several days before the launch date to complete the process.[38]. The film was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016[5] and received various awards and nominations, including three nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. With Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner. [10] Singer Janelle Monáe signed on to play the third lead mathematician, Mary Jackson. Dexter Thomas of Vice News criticized Melfi's additions as creating the white savior trope: "In this case, it means that a white person doesn't have to think about the possibility that, were they around back in the 1960s South, they might have been one of the bad ones. The end result was seven more screenings for people who otherwise might not have been able to afford to see the 20th Century Fox film - in Atlanta (sponsored by Monáe), in Washington, D.C. (sponsored by Henson), in Chicago (also Henson), in Houston (by Parsons), in Hazelwood, Missouri (by Melfi and actress/co-producer Kimberly Quinn), and in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia (both sponsored by Williams). NASA on Friday named its Washington headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the space agency's first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film "Hidden Figures." An air of do-gooder self-satisfaction hovers over the proceedings",[74] while Jesse Hassenger at The A.V. "[73], Other reviews criticized the film for its fictional embellishments and conventional, feel-good style. Katherine Johnson works at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia in 1961, alongside her colleagues Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan. Even though Katherine Johnson, in this role, was a hero, there were so many others that were required to do other kinds of tests and checks to make [Glenn's] mission come to fruition. She coauthored a research report in 1960, the first time a woman in the Flight Research Division had received credit as an author of a research report. Katherine Johnson's Technical Note D-233, co-written with T.H. Bryan Jackson speaks NASA Ceremony to Name Headquarters after his grandmother "Hidden Figure" Mary W. Jackson, Hampton, Va., Feb. … We're all humans. It is a book about society, struggles, overcoming prejudices, spirit, strong will, and brains. "[24], Mary Jackson did not have to get a court order to attend night classes at the whites-only high school. Initially, projections had the film grossing $21.8 million in its opening weekend, finishing second behind Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($22 million). However the next day, final figures revealed the film tallied a weekend total of $22.8 million, beating Rogue One's $21.9 million. It was very upsetting to me because I am at a place where I've lived my life colorless and I grew up in Brooklyn. “We know there are many other people of color and diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our success, which is why we’re continuing the conversations started about a … Neither scene happened in real life, and screenwriter Theodore Melfi said he saw no problem with adding the scenes, saying, "There needs to be white people who do the right thing, there needs to be Black people who do the right thing, and someone does the right thing. 3 on the home video sales chart. NASA on Friday is named its Washington headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the space agency's first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film "Hidden Figures." The MA-6 mission was planned for three orbits and landed at the expected time. [23] In an interview with WHRO-TV, Katherine Johnson denied the feeling of segregation. Stafford makes Katherine remove her name from reports, insisting that computers cannot author them, and her work is credited solely to Stafford. It is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about African American female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. "[49], Also, the film's principal actors (Henson, Spencer, Monáe and Parsons), director (Melfi), producer/musical creator (Williams), and other non-profit outside groups have offered free screenings to Hidden Figures at several cinema locations around the world. [47] A collaborative effort between Western New York STEM Hub, AT&T and the Girl Scouts of the USA allowed more than 200 Buffalo Public School students, Girl Scouts and teachers to see the film. She angrily explains the discrimination she faces at work, which leads Harrison to knock down the "Colored Bathroom" sign and abolish bathroom segregation. Best of all, you come out of the movie knowing who Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson are, and so do your daughters and sons. In 2016, NASA dedicated the Langley Research Center's Katherine Johnson Computational Building in her honor. [42] The phrase "go for at least seven orbits" that is in the mission transcript refers to the fact that the Atlas booster had placed Glenn's capsule into an orbit that would be stable for at least seven orbits, not that he had permission to stay up that long. While Johnson is the main character, Hidden Figures also follows the trajectories of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson as they work on the Friendship Seven blast-off. In Hidden Figures, Kennedy signs an Executive Order to ensure equal opportunity for all job applicants regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin. In 2019, Jackson, along with her fellow “Hidden Figures” Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Christine Darden, were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest civilian award – for their work. [9] Kevin Costner was cast in the film to play the fictional head of the space program. After a successful launch and orbit, a warning indicates the capsule's heat shield may be loose. She is told by Mitchell that, regardless of her mathematics and physical science degree, the position requires additional courses. [34] Melfi said he found "hurtful" the "accusations of a 'white savior' storyline", saying. [26], Katherine Goble/Johnson carpooled with Eunice Smith, a nine-year West End computer veteran at the time Katherine joined NACA. He also wrote original songs and handled the music department and soundtrack of the film, with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, List of accolades received by Hidden Figures, African-American women in computer science, "Fall 2016 Director's Profile: Ted Melfi", "No. Mary files a petition for permission to attend all-white Hampton High School, despite her husband's opposition. Hidden Figures had a limited release on December 25, 2016, by 20th Century Fox, before going wide in the United States on January 6, 2017. [56], Following the 2017 Lego Ideas Contest, Denmark-based toy maker The Lego Group announced plans to manufacture a fan-designed Women of NASA figurine set of five female scientists, engineers and astronauts, as based on real women who have worked for NASA. The film is not to be missed. [7] After the film's development was announced, actresses considered to play the lead roles included Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Taraji P. The Mercury Control Center was located at Cape Canaveral, Florida, not at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. "[72], Clayton Davis of Awards Circuit gave the film 3.5 stars, saying "Precisely marketed as terrific adult entertainment for the Christmas season, Hidden Figures is a faithful and truly beautiful portrait of our country's consistent gloss over the racial tensions that have divided and continue to plague the fabric of our existence. [53][54] Dozens of other GoFundMe free screening campaigns have appeared since the film's general release, all by people wanting to raise money to pay for students to see the film. For any moviegoer looking for an interesting history lesson or simply an entertaining film, “Hidden Figures” is for you. "As we celebrate Black History Month and look ahead to Women's History Month in March, this story of empowerment and perseverance is more relevant than ever," said Liba Rubenstein, 21st Century Fox's Senior Vice President of Social Impact, "We at 21CF were inspired by the grassroots movement to bring this film to audiences that wouldn't otherwise be able to see it - audiences that might include future innovators and barrier-breakers - and we wanted to support and extend that movement". 'Hidden Figures' Mathematician Katherine Johnson Dies Johnson was one of NASA's human "computers" and wrote trajectory equations for missions in the space agency's early days. The Space Task Group was led by Robert Gilruth, not the fictional character Al Harrison, who was created to simplify a more complex management structure. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race is a 2016 nonfiction book written by Margot Lee Shetterly. It is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about African American female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. HIDDEN FIGURES the movie, scheduled for general release on January 13, 2017, has assembled an all-star cast to bring the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson-- three African American women working as mathematicians at NASA-- to life. It's just a film. [3] Domestically, Hidden Figures was the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee at the 89th Academy Awards. Deadline Hollywood noted it as one of the most profitable releases of 2016, and estimated that it made a net profit of $95.5 million.[4]. "[77], This article is about the film. NASA on Friday named its Washington headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the space agency's first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film "Hidden Figures." Encouraged by her team leader Karl Zielinski, a Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor, Mary applies for an official NASA engineer position. It is simply not possible.[39]. [32] Harrison also lets her into Mission Control to witness the launch. The support for the screenings was so positive that 48 countries decided to each nominate one women in STEM to represent their country on a three-week IVLP exchange program in the United States. Baby Driver, Hidden Figures, and a grim warning of things to come", "Pharrell Williams, Making Noise for 'Hidden Figures' Everywhere", "Pharrell Williams to Produce, Write Music for Fox 2000's 'Hidden Figures, "Q&A: Our interview with Katherine G. Johnson, the real-life mathematician who inspired 'Hidden Figures, "KATHERINE JOHNSON INTERVIEW: NASA'S HUMAN COMPUTER", http://www.historyvshollywood.com/video/katherine-johnson-interview-nasa/, "Space so white: The Oscar-nominated 'Hidden Figures' was whitewashed — but it didn't have to be", "Modern Figures: Frequently Asked Questions | NASA", "Results of the First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight, Table 6-II Sequence of Events During MA-6 Flight, Page 71", "Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position", "Based on a True True Story? [51] 21st Century Fox and AMC Theatres also invited schools, community groups and non-profit organizations to apply for additional special screenings to be held in their towns. "[75] Eric Kohn of IndieWire argues that the film "trivializes history; as a hagiographic tribute to its brilliant protagonists, it doesn't dig into the essence of their struggles"[76] and similarly, Paul Byrnes concludes that "When a film purports to be selling history, we're entitled to ask where the history went, even if it offers a good time instead. Taraji P. Henson. There were so many people required to make this happen. Northrop Grumman names cargo ship in honor of ‘Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson, ... was largely forgotten until the book 'Hidden Figures' was released in … Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder. The film, set at NASA Langley Research Center in 1961, depicts segregated facilities such as the West Area Computing unit, where an all-Black group of female mathematicians were originally required to use separate dining and bathroom facilities. But Hidden Figures's main purpose is to inform, honor, and celebrate, which the film does with great dignity and grace. The school turned out to be run down and dilapidated, a hidden cost of running two parallel school systems. EARLY BIRDS: Get your FREE review copy of Hidden Figures from Library Thing. Mitchell finally addresses her as "Mrs. Vaughan.". The biographical text follows the lives of Katherine Johnson, … [4], During its limited release in 25 theaters from December 25, 2016 to January 5, 2017, the film grossed $3 million. [8] Fox cast Henson to play the lead role of mathematician Katherine Goble Johnson. The statement described the February charity screenings as building broader awareness of the film's true story of Black women mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race. The women of Hidden Figures. Katherine meets African-American National Guard Lt. Col. Jim Johnson, who voices skepticism about women's mathematical abilities. All of them are African-American women; the unit is segregated by race and sex. Here are brief biographies of these women. But I understand you can't make a movie with 300 characters. Janelle Monáe. Directed by Theodore Melfi. [20], Katherine Goble was the one who had to find her own way to a colored bathroom, which did exist on the East Side. The movie also incorrectly shows NASA flight controllers monitoring live telemetry from the Soviet Vostok launch, which the Soviet Union would not have been sharing with NASA in 1961. It was expected to gross around $20 million from 2,471 theaters in its opening weekend, with the studio projecting a more conservative $15–17 million debut. "[19] Dorothy Vaughan and many of the former West Computers transferred to the new Analysis and Computation Division (ACD), a racially and gender-integrated group. [18] Morehouse College mathematics professor Rudy L. Horne was brought in to be the on-set mathematician. [43], The visual blog Information is Beautiful deduced that, while taking creative licence into account, the film was 74% accurate when compared to real-life events, summarizing that "the crux of the story is true, [and] any events that didn't actually happen are at least illustrative of how things really were". Four African American women known as the "Hidden Figures" who worked at NASA during the Space Race are being awarded Congressional Gold Medals, the highest civilian award in … But his suggestion that a feel-good scene like that was needed for the marketability and overall appeal of the film speaks to the fact that Hollywood at large still has a long way to go in telling Black stories, no matter how many strides have been made. [62] The film debuted at No. Octavia Spencer. She asked the city of Hampton for an exception, and it was granted. However, in reality, Dorothy Vaughan was promoted to supervisor of West Computing in 1949, becoming the first Black supervisor at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and one of the few female supervisors. Tim Grierson, writing for Screen International, states that "Hidden Figures is almost patronisingly earnest in its depiction of sexism and racism. [40] The post mission report also shows that retrofire was scheduled to occur on the third orbit. [6] Allison Schroeder wrote the script, which was developed by Gigliotti through Levantine Films. I knew it was there, but I didn't feel it. On the other hand it describes Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, three African-American NASA mathematicians who did many of those calculations. The orbit plots displayed in the front of the room incorrectly show a six-orbit mission, which did not happen until Walter Schirra's MA-8 mission in October 1962. [27] The three Goble children were teenagers at the time of Katherine's marriage to Jim Johnson. [66], Simon Thompson of IGN gave the film a rating of 9/10, writing, "Hidden Figures fills in an all too forgotten, or simply too widely unknown, blank in US history in a classy, engaging, entertaining and hugely fulfilling way. Her calculations helped plot the successful flight of Alan B. Shepard Jr., who became the first American in space in 1961. I didn't feel any segregation. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF HIDDEN FIGURES CAST. Other filming locations included several other locations in Georgia, including East Point, Canton, Monroe, Columbus and Madison. Spencer was selected to play Dorothy Vaughan, one of the three lead mathematicians at NASA. [22] She ignored the complaint, and the issue was dropped. The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. "In 1958, when NACA became NASA, segregated facilities, including the West Computing office, were abolished. There were sections, branches, divisions, and they all went up to a director. Johnson, a native of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, was among the team of black, female, mathematicians working for NASA in the 1960s that inspired the Oscar-nominated movie Hidden Figures. And remember to acknowledge their impact outside of Black History Month , as they've made way for many of the 21st century's most famous faces to shine today. The scene where Harrison smashes the Colored Ladies Room sign never happened, as in real life Katherine refused to walk the extra distance to use the colored bathroom and, in her words, "just went to the White one". Fox 2000 Pictures acquired the film rights, and Theodore Melfi signed on to direct. The title “Hidden Figures” has a double meaning, On one hand it refers to the mathematical calculations that went in to making John Glenn the first American man into space in 1962. Principal photography began in March 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia and wrapped up in May 2016. Smith was her neighbor and friend from sorority and church choir. [6], Chernin and Jenno Topping produced, along with Gigliotti and Melfi. The author Margot Lee Shetterly has agreed that there are differences between her book and the movie, but found that to be understandable. I don't want to have this conversation about Black film or white film anymore. [63], Hidden Figures grossed $169.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $66.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $236 million, against a production budget of $25 million. Mary Jackson's life is featured in the 2016 film "Hidden Figures." Mission Control decides to land Glenn after three orbits instead of seven, and Katherine supports Harrison's suggestion to leave the retro-rocket attached to help keep the heat shield in place. In November 1943, Dorothy Vaughan, a teacher at the Negro high school in Farmville, Virginia, joined an experiment quietly underway at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. The minifigures planned for inclusion in the set were Katherine Johnson, computer scientist Margaret Hamilton; astronaut, physicist and educator Sally Ride; astronomer Nancy Grace Roman; and astronaut and physician Mae Jemison (who is also African American). ", "The Walt Disney Company Partners with U.S. State Department on "Hidden No More" Exchange Program", "Hidden No More: A Global Exchange Program Inspired by 'Hidden Figures, "Hidden figures no more: female Nasa staff to be immortalised in Lego", "Lego set to honor women of NASA, including Katherine Johnson of 'Hidden Figures, "Introducing LEGO® Ideas 21312 Women of NASA", https://www.kkbox.com/sg/en/album/JCovTzGxdr57B0F1PLZE009H-index.html, "Force Remains With 'Star Wars' for DVD, Blu-ray Disc Sales", "Film Review: 'Hidden Figures' Is Pure Goodness Featuring a Stellar Cast", "Good performances can't blast Hidden Figures out of prestige convention", "Hidden Figures review: these trailblazing women deserve better", NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture, National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble Cast, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture, Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hidden_Figures&oldid=1009326379, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with faulty BNE identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Wikipedia articles with multiple identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 February 2021, at 00:26. The breakout movie Hidden Figures tells the story of three African American women who worked as mathematicians at NASA.