EXCLUSIVE: The stars of the 1980 classic 9 to 5 will be reuniting on the red carpet in Hollywood.
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton are set to be honored May 29 as Women’s Equality Trailblazers by the ERA Coalition Forward at the L.A. premiere of the documentary Still Working 9 to 5. The film directed by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane examines the impact of the groundbreaking comedy and the ongoing struggle for women’s equality in the workplace.
Fonda, Tomlin, Parton and Dabney Coleman from the original film all appear in the documentary. So do Rita Moreno, who starred in the TV adaptation of the film that ran from 1982-88 (playing Violet Newstead, the character Tomlin portrayed in the feature version), and Allison Janney, who starred in the Broadway production 9 to 5: The Musical (she, too, played Violet Newstead).
The premiere will take place at the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, Renberg Theatre in Los Angeles. Zakiya Thomas, president and CEO of ERA Coalition Forward said in a statement, “This premiere not only celebrates the enduring legacy of 9 to 5 but also underscores the urgency of [passing] the Equal Rights Amendment to ensure sex equality for all.”
In the documentary, which made its world premiere at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, Tomlin observes, “We’re still having this same conversation about equal pay. There’ve been incremental improvements, but it’s hard for a whole stratum of society to give up its power and its expectations.”
Parton comments, “Who knew that 44 years later l’d still be working 9 to 5. I believed then, and I believe now that every person deserves to be paid fairly for their work… no matter who they are. I think this documentary (Still Working 9 to 5) shows that the struggle continues and that we all need to do our part to help make things better for everybody.”
Fonda came up with the idea for the original 1980 movie. At first, she conceived of 9 to 5 as a drama, but ultimately it shifted to comedy while still getting its pro-equality point across. The overall message can be considered feminist, but in the documentary Fonda clarifies, “Not that feminism means that women have to take over, but it means coming into your own, it means having agency.”
The Hollywood premiere, which will include a reception, will serve as a fundraiser for ERA Coalition Forward, a group comprised of 300 member organizations that advocate for gender, racial, economic and reproductive justice to LGBTQ+ rights across the country. The coalition says, “We bring together interconnected, intergenerational, and intersectional organizations under one banner: to advance sex equality. This is what unites us all.”
Still Working 9 to 5 is directed and produced by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane. Executive producers include Larry Lane, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Shane McAnally, Regina K. Scully, and Steve Summers. The documentary, which enjoys a 93 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, won three awards at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, earned Outstanding Achievement at the Impact Docs Awards, and audience awards at the Nashville Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, and American Documentary Film Festival.
“The filmmakers are planning a social impact campaign to advance women’s equality leading up to a release in the fall,” according to a release. “This entertaining but groundbreaking film not only serves as a catalyst for dialogue on women in the workplace, but also underscores the urgency of ratifying the ERA to ensure equality for all.”
Still Working 9 to 5 features a new version of Dolly Parton’s title song from the original film, a duet with Parton and Kelly Clarkson.
You can watch the documentary trailer here:
