THE HIDDEN WOMEN FILM SERIES PRESENTS
WHY MAGDALENA?
Magdalena's story necessarily begins with the human journey like everyone else's does. While chalk-full of invention and discovery, the saga is also fraught with unfairness, unachieved goals and intended confusions. Multiple variations of Magdalena - like La Madeleine - aptly illustrate the last point.
A convincing amount of evidence suggests that some intrepid migrants made their way to La Madeleine in France's Périgord after the last Ice Age. These people were no "cave men," though. They tamed wolves into dogs. They built free standing shelters. Perhaps most notably, though, they etched female forms onto the walls of their caves - and their very name suggests that women were among their leaders.
Come with us as we explore Magdalena’s significance across Europe. Though Caesars and the later Christian conquest may have tried to erase all traces of an extraordinary heritage, it’s time to reclaim this illustrious legacy as our own.
THE HIDDEN WOMEN FILM SERIES PRESENTS
ONE MARVELOUS DAY in LE MAN & DOUE
Tribute, lineage and a safe cave – all three thread through Europe’s fabric. Escape networks are as crucial as ever when invaders strike, as apparent from Russia’s excruciating attack on Ukraine. And survivors following in long tradition pay homage to their fallen defenders, often with portrayals in highly unlikely places. Intriguingly well-known names might hold deep secrets about family lineage. Subterranean systems, that for centuries kept the persecuted safe from the villain’s sword, reveal surprisingly advanced skills in cave tunnelers and dwellers.
Spend a moment with us in Le Mans and Doué to peer into a darkened past and perhaps recognize some beautifully familiar lights.
A New film By the Author
HALLSTATT’S WARRIOR WOMEN
For 1400 years heresy laws punished non-religious expression with death. From the 13th to 18th century, the church-state burned Celts at the stake, mostly women, in numbers yet unknown.
As a leader in a time of unrivaled, overall prosperity in pre-Christian Europe, Hallstatt holds unmistakable signs of Celts. Take a look at this shining example of Europe’s secular Celtic civilization and its likely heroes’ hall that honors women defenders.
THE HIDDEN WOMEN BOOK SERIES PRESENTS
LORSCH IVORY CLUES to a HIDDEN PAST
A finely carved book cover may reveal the portrait of a famous European family while shining a beautiful new light on ages long disregarded as too dark to notice.
THE HIDDEN WOMEN BOOK SERIES PRESENTS
TRACES of FRANKS & WINE
As archaeology allows an ever-expanding view of Europe’s resident Celtic pre-Christian populations, the Frankish family stands out. After defeating Rome’s imperial armies of occupation, the Franks coordinated with other Celtic families and then led a freed Europe known as Francia. Wine production and trade plays a major part in this new rendering of Europe’s past based on evolving scientific information. This film explores Frankish homelands and their role in the history of wine in Europe.
THE HIDDEN WOMEN BOOK SERIES PRESENTS
CHARLEMAGNE from PARIS to PRAGUE
This 7-stop journey visits important places in Charlemagne’s world, especially the illustrious centers of learning that he and his family founded all across Europe. Along the way, we consider a mysterious Carolingian carved-ivory book cover that looks as though it began as Charlemagne's family portrait of abbey-founders - but Grandma's graffitied with a beard!
Explore with us the beauty and achievements of Charlemagne's times that still shine into the current era. (27 min)
THE HIDDEN WOMEN BOOK SERIES PRESENTS
LIBERTY for ALL
Freedom’s buried past comes to light in this story of American author Thomas Paine who influenced the Revolution in France, a country reeling from 1400 years of church-state heresy persecutions - and how Europeans withstood centuries of oppression. (17 minutes)