Janet Guthrie made history in 1977 when, at the age of 39, the aerospace engineer became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Jenna Ricker’s “Qualified” explores how the trailblazer battled sexism and skepticism on her way to racing into record books. A press release announced that the documentary will air on ESPN’s “30 for 30” series May 28.
The feature traces “the mercurial rise of this barrier-breaking auto racer and her equally rapid decline,” according to its official synopsis. “What Janet Guthrie accomplished in the male bastion of mid-70s American motorsports, stands as a testament to one woman’s determination and skill — the kind too often relegated to the margins of history.” Comprised almost entirely of archival material, “Qualified” includes local television coverage and network broadcasts, rarely seen promotional films, home movies, and private photo and film collections.
“In the late 70’s Janet Guthrie was a name you heard on evening broadcasts and read about in your daily newspaper,” said Ricker. “The saturated film stock and cinematography of that era is so evocative and visceral, it seemed the perfect way to re-introduce Janet to today’s audience. Shaping her story predominantly through archival footage reminds our viewer how present she was in the zeitgeist while placing them at the epicenter of macho 70’s auto racing.”
When we asked the director what drew her to Guthrie’s story prior to the doc’s premiere at SXSW, she said, “Janet’s tenacity. She got on with pursuing her passion while everyone else was still gasping, ‘But she’s a woman!’ The more I learned about her — giving up a career in aeronautical engineering, building her own engines, going broke, the 24/7 effort to secure sponsorship, getting the right equipment, and pulling a team together — the more I felt a kind of kinship,” the director explained. “I’m not risking my life racing at 200 miles per hour, and I’m not clever enough to be an aeronautical engineer, but so many of her obstacles and triumphs echoed aspects I’ve experienced as a female filmmaker.”
Ricker previously directed narrative features “The American Side” and “Ben’s Plan.”
