CINEMA

CLASS OF PROMISE
An NFB and CBC co-production.

Barbara Sears

Producer: John Kramer.

Directed by Barbara Sears, this captivating film is about an elite group of women: students and graduates of the Master in Business Administration programme at the University of Western Ontario. It is an inspiring film for women who want to learn about power, the work ethic, and the nature of success. It is a look at what it takes for women to advance in the corporate world, an examination of the obstacles women must face that men do not have to face, and an evaluation of the chances women have of making it to the top.

Documentary filmmaker, Barbara Sears, takes the camera into the classroom at Western to observe the "Case Method" in action. The work load is relentlessly grueling, and those who survive, feel as if they've been liberated from boot camp.

Outside the classroom, in the business world, we see some of the recent graduates at work, striving to succeed in a corporate culture which, at its upper echelon, still does not readily accept women. The historical footage that traces the evolution of the role of women in the workplace, posits the origin of the "family wage" and the discrepancy between "women's work" and "men's work", is a sort of ironic comic relief in the film.

The women captured are relentlessly ambitious. One of them states: "I want it all. I want reward, I want a nice house, a good life, travel, a satisfying personal life. I want to achieve, and be seen to achieve." Although the film shows these women developing the skills necessary to realize their goals, it also points out the difficulties of juggling the demands of family and work, and the compromises that must realistically be made.

This film will be seen on CBC television in the fall of 1985, and can be obtained from the N.F.B. for private viewing.