OPENING NIGHT! Fort York
Wednesday, June 19, 2024

9 to 5

With the short film The Pink

Opening TOPS’ 2024 festival programme, cult favourite Nine to Five unites three office secretaries (Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and country great Dolly Parton, who also wrote and performed the iconic theme song) in a plot against their misogynistic boss, determined to improve conditions for the women who make the wheels turn in their male-dominated corporate office. In the guise of a dark comedy, Nine to Five is a film about labour with sharp commentary on workplace sexism, power structures, pay equity, flexible work schedules, and childcare needs – it remains an enduring classic.

Turning Nine to Five’s 1980s’-set feminist prototype on its head, Toronto-born filmmaker Ingrid Haas’ horror-comedy short film The Pink introduces an expectant mother and aspiring novelist to the cult-like world of an exclusive women-only co-working space, “The Pink”. Its bright pink decor and language of “lean in” empowerment masks the true costs of access to power in Haas’ biting and timely satire of faux-feminist “girlboss” capitalism, toxic positivity, and commodified wellness schemes.

This screening will be presented with optional pre-recorded Audio Description available for blind, low vision, or visually impaired audience members. More information about this accessibility feature is available at TOpictureshow.com/audio. Other accessibility features available at TOPS events, including open captioning, are outlined at TOpictureshow.com/accessibility.