Sally

Cristina Costantini (2025, U.S., 106 min.) + post-film discussion

Sally Ride was many things–scientist, accomplished tennis player, astronaut, daughter. Yet for the press and many Americans she was always simply one thing: a woman. In 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space (a mere 20 years after the Soviet Union sent Valentina Tereshkova into space), setting off a media frenzy. Yet even by 1983, Ride was still being hit with rampantly sexist inquiries: Was she up to the job like her male colleagues were? Would she cry if something went wrong in space? Would 100 tampons be enough for her one-week journey into space?

Through it all, Ride maintained a demeanor of calm, near-Zen detachment–pleasantly doing the job without ruffling feathers, seeming like she wanted to advance, or drawing any undue attention to herself. For Ride, this was just the cost of doing business when being a woman in a male-dominated field. But her seeming imperturbability went far deeper than even many peers or observers recognized at the time. Because through it all, she was hiding a deep secret that might make her seem like even more of a threat to the conservative, risk-averse culture of NASA: her decades-long partnership with another woman.

In Cristina Costantini’s in-depth documentary, we begin to try to reconcile all the many siloed strands of Ride and her persona, as told from her letters, historical footage, and interviews with those who thought they knew her best. What emerges is a portrait the complicates any simplistic narratives about her personal choices and points out the sacrifices we all make when we don’t live as our complete selves or let others be themselves. At a time when efforts to make STEM disciplines more inclusive are under threat, Sally Ride’s story offers important lessons about the benefits to everyone of bringing diverse viewpoints into our workplaces, as when having someone outside the good-ole-boy network culture like Ride became instrumental in uncovering critical NASA failures that led to the Challenger shuttle disaster. So how do we recommit to opening these fields to all? If our future lies in the stars, how do we make sure those stars are full of possibilities for all? Ride’s journey is a good place to start answering those questions.

Following the film, we will feature a panel discussion with experts on building inclusivity in STEM disciplines.