A documentary featuring Tiburon sailor Melissa Purdy Feagin will screen Nov. 4-5 at San Francisco’s Marina Theatre.
“Mighty Mary” recounts the campaign of the first all-women’s America’s Cup team in 1995. Feagin served as the yacht’s mainsail trimmer, The Ark reported.
Both screenings begin at 8 p.m. and include a Q&A with cast members, according to the theater’s listing. The theater is at 2149 Chestnut St. The listing does not identify which cast members will attend.
The 98-minute documentary is narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman and directed by filmmaker and Olympian Mary Mazzio, according to the film’s official website.
In 1995, Bill Koch assembled the women’s crew after receiving about 700 applications and selecting 23 sailors, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Dawn Riley was the only crew member who had previously competed on an America’s Cup team. Other recruits included Olympic rowers. The sailors trained 13 hours a day, according to the newspaper.
The documentary follows their competition against established sailing teams and examines a disputed agreement that affected the campaign, according to the filmmakers.
Crew member Annie Gardner told the Union-Tribune that joining the team required weighing the opportunity against family responsibilities.
“Even though my husband wasn’t happy about it, I was like, I have to do this,” Gardner said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Feagin’s Marin sailing history also includes competing aboard the classic yacht Dorade with an all-female crew at the Leukemia Cup, hosted by Tiburon’s San Francisco Yacht Club. A 2012 Marin Magazine article, reproduced on Dorade’s website, documented that participation.
“Mighty Mary” screened at the Nantucket Film Festival on June 18. The festival’s archive lists Mazzio as the recipient of its 2026 Maria Mitchell Visionary Award for the film.
The documentary opened in select theaters Sept. 11. Its official screening page links to tickets for the Marina Theatre showings.
