Documentary to appear at film festival about Professor Anita Hill

A new documentary film which chronicles the circumstances which made Professor Anita Hill a household name is set to premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.

Festival organizers describe the documentary this way:

ANITA / U.S.A. (Director: Freida Mock) — Anita Hill, an African-American woman, charges Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas with sexual harassment in explosive Senate hearings in 1991 – bringing sexual politics into the national consciousness and fueling 20 years of international debate on the issues.

At a time where the ABC drama Scandal is a bona fide hit, the film could find an audience very much curious about race, gender, sexuality and of course scandal.

Others may say that the film might lead to more significant discussions about black sexuality a topic many say scholars seem afraid to address.

Last fall a number of speeches and conferences were held commemorating 20 years since Justice Clarence Thomas’ controversial confirmation hearings. Professor Hill who seldom makes public appearances made a number of speeches including one at the Georgetown Law Center entitled, “Context and Consequences: The Hill-Thomas Hearings Twenty Years Later” organized by one of her lawyers during the hearings Emma Coleman Jordan.

Hill is currently Senior Advisor to the Provost and Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women’s Studies at Brandeis University.