On Friday, January 23, Westridge hosted a special screening of the film Lilly for the Westridge community. Hosted in the PAC auditorium, parents and students alike gathered to watch the movie. Afterwards, Spyglass editor Tekle S.-J. ’27 led a Q&A session with the production team: Rachel Feldman, the film’s director; Lisa Anderson Kelley, the executive producer; and film co-writer, Adam Prince.

The film, starring Patricia Clarkson, follows the true story of Lilly Ledbetter, an Alabama tire factory worker who discovered she was being paid significantly less than her male co-workers after nearly 20 years on the job. Her fight for justice and equal pay led her to the U.S. Supreme Court, and a bill was eventually passed through her efforts: The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, President Barack Obama’s first official legislation.

For film director Rachel Feldman, seeing Lilly Ledbetter on television wasn’t just a political moment; it was the realization that there was a story of resilience and fighting for change that needed to be told. “She’s a movie. She’s Norma Ray. She’s Erin Brockovich. She’s Silkwood. This is a movie,” said Ms. Feldman. 

Several members of the production team shared serendipitous connections to Westridge. Executive producer Lisa Kelley and producer Allyn Steward, who was unable to attend the special screening, are both Westridge alumni, graduating in 1975 and 1974, respectively. Additionally, Adam Prince is the father of a current Westridge student. Ms. Kelley said, “Allyn and I connected over Westridge, and when we met again at the Palm Springs Film Festival, we were sisters again. It was just great. So we’ve been corresponding all about Westridge, and then, of course, it’s just wonderful to find out Adam’s a dad here.” 

Mr. Prince initially hesitated before accepting the role of film writer. “It was quite an honor to be invited into this beautiful project,” he said. “[But] when you are a screenwriter, you have to consider what you’re spending time on. So I said, ‘Let me just take a night and just consider this.’ And I talked to [my wife], and she was like, “‘Do it for your daughter. Do it. Make a movie.’ I thought, ‘I can’t wait to be able to show this film at Westridge and share with the community.’”

Throughout the production of the film, the team faced many challenges. One of the difficulties in developing the movie was building the story and the early script. The team had to balance the movie’s legal accuracy and still make the movie understandable and dramatic to audiences. 

Additionally, the film was shut down in 2021 due to COVID-19 and other reasons. Despite the setback, the production team persisted, much like its titular lead. After a year, production resumed in Atlanta. Ms. Feldman said, “We were back on track, but I had to cut 25 pages from our original screenplay and 11 days of shooting, so I knew that screenplay was not the screenplay that Adam and I had originally envisioned. It was still an important story, but it was going to be different.”

To the producers, Lilly was more than just a film. It was a journey to present the legacy of a woman who changed equal rights in America and inspire future generations. “Stories are how we learn about issues and history,” Mr. Prince said. “Use your voice, use storytelling in whatever medium possible, and take that forward.”