Introduction

Lesson Three - Hidden Figures
Duration - 7 blocks (7 x 80 min + homework)hidden figures

"Genius has no race. Strength has no gender. Courage has no limit." ~ Hidden Figures tagline

In this unit, we will be studying texts in which the text creators examine characters responses to difficult situations, exploring the question, "What is revealed through characters' responses to hardship?"

The first text studied is the film, Hidden Figures, in which all of the characters face a great deal - and variety - of hardship.  What is revealed by their responses to those hardships is fascinating.

Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by TheodoreMelfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about black female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. The film stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and other missions. The film also features Octavia Spencer as NASA supervisor Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monáe as NASA engineer Mary Jackson, with Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell, and Mahershala Ali in supporting roles.

Principal photography began in March 2016 in Atlanta and was wrapped up in May 2016. 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. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $236 million worldwide. It was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016 and was nominated for numerous awards, including three Oscar nominations and two Golden Globes. It also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.