PORTLAND — The public is invited to join producer Mick Caouette of South Hill Films, months before the national broadcast by American Public Television, for an exclusive first east-coast screening and discussion of “Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare,” the first film biography of one of the most important women in U.S. history. The event is being hosted by the Frances Perkins Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine.

A reception celebrating civic leadership by Maine women will begin at 5:30 p.m., with remarks by Gov. Janet Mills at 6:15. The film viewing will be followed by Q&A session with filmmaker Caouette. Tickets are free and available online at www. francesperkinscenter.org/events or by calling 207-563-3374. Preregistration is required. Hannaford Hall is located at 88 Bedford St.

In March of 2020, an election year energized by women candidates and the centennial celebration of Women’s Suffrage, American Public Television will premiere the story of the first woman cabinet member, Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor under FDR (1933-1945), the woman behind the New Deal. In the depths of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Frances Perkins as the first woman on a presidential cabinet. Against overwhelming odds, she became the driving force behind Social Security, the 40-hour work week, the eight‐hour work day, unemployment insurance and the minimum wage.

“Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare” features compelling interviews with Maine Sen. George Mitchell, David Brooks, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Klobuchar, Lawrence O’Donnell and others while telling Perkins’ heroic story, which explores the history of women in politics, Social Security, attitudes toward immigration, poverty, Socialism and the role of government. Watch a film preview: youtu.be/Nw1JVD33iOE

“My good friend and colleague Mick Caouette has produced the first film biography of Frances Perkins, and we need for Americans today to know what a terrific contribution she made to the social contract. Mick is passionate about sharing her story with future generations, and he tells it well, as a kindred spirit in the tradition of FDR, Frances Perkins and The New Deal.” – Bill Moyers, journalist

“Frances Perkins made it possible for the rest of us. She paved the way. She is an icon, a model. I am so glad to see that her story is being told.” – Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

“The hard-won social safety net that Frances Perkins helped to create is now under serious threat. Mick Caouette’s new film, “Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare,” will help millions of public television viewers understand why we must never take it for granted.” – Robert B. Reich, former Secretary of Labor

South Hill Films is the independent film production company for the documentary films of Mick Caouette. Its mission is to rediscover and recreate the lives of the American heroes of quiet courage who have shaped the America in which we now live. Learn more: www.southhillfilms.com.

The Frances Perkins Center is dedicated to honoring and preserving the legacy of the woman behind the New Deal by continuing Perkins’ work for social and economic justice and by preserving for future generations her nationally significant family homestead in Newcastle, Maine.

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