Stories, Work and the Way Forward
When the film 9 to 5 premiered in 1980, it entertained audiences with humor while exposing real workplace challenges many women experienced. The issues the movie addressed were central to the culture war of that time. More than four decades later, the film offers an opportunity to revisit that cultural moment through a new lens.
Rather than discussing political positions of that time, the PLNU community is invited to practice something more difficult and more faithful — to seek understanding before judgment, to recognize the humanity behind deeply held convictions and to explore how Christians can respond to stories of injustice with both truth and love.
As the opening event of the Illuminate Speaker & Engagement Series, PLNU will host a panel discussion around the documentary, “Still Working 9 to 5,” which revisits the #1 comedy, 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman, that topped the box office in 1980 using comedy to communicate a serious message about women in the office. This event will serve as a conversation primer for a year of exploring what it means to live faithfully in a divided world. Together, we'll consider not only what the film reveals about the experiences of women in the workplace and hear from real women in the community, but also how followers of Christ are called to engage difficult cultural questions with discernment and grace.
Illuminate is not asking participants to adopt a political position. It is inviting our community to move beyond reaction toward reflection, beyond polarization toward discernment and beyond caricatures toward seeing every person as someone made in the image of God.
Join the PLNU community for the Illuminate Speaker & Engagement Series: Stories, Work and the Way Forward. Come hear from three women – Barbara Bry, Venessa Jackson and Taylor Dunne Woff – as they reflect on the themes explored in the documentary and share their experiences in the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Dr. Lindsey Lupo, Dean in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Public Engagement, will serve as the moderator of the discussion and Camille Hardman, documentary producer, will also participate on the panel. Clips of the documentary will be shown during the event, not the entire film.
Event Schedule:
6 - 6:30 p.m.: Appetizers & meet and greet
6:45 p.m.: Documentary screening & panel discussion