K. Johnson

Films and series have a unique power to revive those left silent by history books.

These visual works rehabilitate forgotten women- scientists, activists, artists - and help rebuild a fairer collective memory.

Cinema and TV go beyond entertainment: they rewrite history by centering marginalized figures. For years, women—especially Black, working-class, or scientific figures—were erased from official accounts.

Today, filmmakers use imagery to bring those hidden by history into view..

The screen becomes a powerful pedagogical and emotional tool: it embodies what archives neglected and gives viewers new ways to learn.

SReleased in 2016 and directed by Theodore Melfi, "Hidden Figures" tells the true story of three African American mathematicians—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—whose work was instrumental in the success of the earliest American space missions.

Set against a backdrop of segregation and sexism, these women did far more than solve equations: they broke through deeply entrenched barriers in society and at NASA.

The film spotlights Katherine Johnson in particular, whose precise calculations enabled John Glenn to become the first American to orbit the Earth.​

Through her story, "Hidden Figures" brings visibility to all the "human computers" whose crucial contributions NASA had long left in the shadows.

This feature-length film is not just a biographical work - it serves as an act of historical rehabilitation, correcting the injustice of the silence that surrounded these women for years

The international success of "Hidden Figures"-with over $230 million in worldwide box office earnings-brought Katherine Johnson back into the spotlight, transforming her into a symbol of perseverance and intelligence.

It also sparked broader awareness about the place of women—especially Black women—in science, education, and research.

Thanks to "Hidden Figures," a whole generation now learns that the story of space exploration was shaped by many hands, not just those of men.

Directed by : Marjane Satrapi

Synopsis : Portrait of Marie Curie, the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, retracing her scientific career and the resistance she faced.

Impact : Satrapi presents Curie as human and modern—a figure too often overshadowed by her husband Pierre in textbooks.

Directed by : Kasi Lemmons

Synopsis : Biopic of Harriet Tubman, abolitionist leader who helped hundreds of slaves escape via the Underground Railroad.

Impact : A tribute to an American heroine whose courage was long minimized.

Directed by : Wash Westmoreland

Synopsis : Writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette fights to reclaim authorship of her works, long signed by her husband, Willy.

Impact : The film highlights how difficult it is for women artists to gain recognition in a male-dominated literary world.