UHCL’s Film & Speaker Series presents ‘On the Basis of Sex’ to celebrate Women’s History Month

The Student Life Office’s Film & Speaker Series will present the movie “On the Basis of Sex” March 30. The 2018 feature film, starring Felicity Jones, explores the early career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“March is Women’s History Month,” said Sonia Hernandez, film curator for the film & speaker series. “‘On the Basis of Sex’ is a docudrama about the struggles of a female attorney who files and wins groundbreaking cases to gain equality under the law for women, and in the process becomes a Supreme Court Justice. I cannot think of a more fitting film for Women’s History Month.”

Following the screening of the film, there is to be a discussion of the film with a panel of five faculty members: Maria Curtis, associate professor of anthropology; Patricia Droz, assistant professor of writing; Comeka Anderson Diaz, visiting lecturer for criminology; Anne Gessler, lecturer of First-Year Seminar and humanities; and Frances Kavenik, professor of literature and film at the University of Washington’s Women’s Studies Program.

“The panelists are all part of the UHCL Women and Gender Studies faculty,” Hernandez said. “Each panelist will bring a different perspective to the issues raised in the film, consistent with their discipline. The issues and conversations to be brought up depend entirely on the interaction of the panelists and the audience.”

The panel of female faculty will discuss the struggles working women have encountered in society.

“We believed the film and the speakers would expose students to the struggles working women have faced in society, as well as concrete strategies, both collectively and individually, for confronting them,” Gessler said.

Along with “On the Basis of Sex,” the Film & Speaker Series presented “RBG,” another film about Ruth Bader Ginsburg on March 9.

UHCL’s Film & Speaker Series presents multiple movies every semester that addresses relevant issues followed by a speaker(s) who has expertise in at least one of the issues raised by the film. The series has been going on for many semesters. As this semester comes to an end there is one more film scheduled: “Ben is Back” that will show on March 30.

“[The] primary goal [of the series] is to provide a safe space for civil discourse on issues of importance in modern society,” Hernandez said. “Selection of [the] films is based on several factors, the principal factor being the society issues presented in the film. Another goal of the Film & Speaker Series is to help the audience experience film as a primary source of social history. Coming to the movies is a very pleasurable learning-outside-the-classroom experience.”

“On the Basis of Sex” will be shown Saturday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the SSCB Lecture Hall. Students can attend for free with their UHCL student ID, and the general public can attend for $4.