- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Tonight, activism and female empowerment take center stage
in the documentary, 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement.
There's a story behind every film.
But when it comes to the 1980 Hollywood blockbuster,
9 to 5 starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin,
there's an actual movement that inspired the star-driven effort.
Founded in 1973, the grassroots organization 'Boston: 9 to 5'
was created by a group of secretaries
who where fed up with being mistreated at work.
They put their careers on the line
to improve woman's rights in the workplace;
addressing issues such as low pay, sexual harassment,
and the lack of opportunity to move up the corporate ladder.
The group eventually merged
with the Service Employees International Union
and evolved into
the 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women.
Tonight's film chronicles this journey.
For co-directors Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar,
9 to 5 is not their first effort
dedicated to the American worker.
They won an Oscar in 2020 for their documentary
American Factory, which was the maiden effort
from Michelle and Barack Obama's company, Higher Ground.
Reichert was battling terminal cancer
at the time of her acceptance speech
but still made time to honor working people.
In 9 to 5, she and Bognar make good use of pop culture
to tell their story,
interweaving clips from Mad Men,
I Love Lucy and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
And what film about woman's rights
would be complete without a cameo from Jane Fonda?
Now sit back and enjoy this history lesson...
from Boston to the big screen.
9 to 5: The Story of a Movement starts now
on PBS Wisconsin, your home for independent film.