Documentaries
Women and Spirituality Trilogy
Women and Spirituality is Donna Read's definitive series that explores the power of the sacred feminine in mythological, historical and cultural contexts. This trilogy investigates the relationship between women and spirituality from ancient times to the present. Purchase the DVD or stream below.
Goddess Remembered
PART ONE
This poetic documentary is a salute to 35 000 years of "pre-history,"; to the values of ancestors only recently remembered, and to the goddess-worshipping religions of the ancient past. Goddess Remembered features Merlin Stone, Carol Christ, Luisah Teish, Starhawk, Charlene Spretnak, and Jean Bolen, who link the loss of goddess-centred societies with today's environmental crisis. They propose a return to the belief in an interconnected life system, with respect for the earth and the female, as fundamental to our survival.
Burning Times
PART TWO
This beautifully crafted film is an in-depth look at the witch-hunts that swept through Europe just a few hundred years ago. False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake, and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The film advances the theory that widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times.
Full Circle
PART THREE
In this stirring documentary, authors, teachers, social activists and feminists explore manifestations of contemporary women’s spirituality in the Western world. Drawing on the customs, rites and knowledge of the past, Full Circle envisions a sustainable future where domination is replaced with respect. At the centre of these discussions is a reverence for the Earth, a sacred circle which we must protect.
Signs Out of Time
Signs Out of Time examines the life and work of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Marija Gimbutas. Drawing from her extensive knowledge of mythology and linguistics, Lithuanian-born Gimbutas uncovered the life-affirming and goddess-worshiping civilizations of pre-historic “Old Europe.”
Signs Out of Time was made over a period of ten years by filmmaker Donna Read and author Starhawk. Shortly after they began research for the documentary in the early nineties, Marija died.
Fortunately, Delphi Productions had already produced and made available a long interview with Marija by Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade and many other important works.
Joan Marler, Marija’s editor and biographer, consulted on the film and helped us piece together the story of Marija’s life. Interviews with many other scholars, artists, writers, friends and family of Marija contributed to our research.
Weaving together footage of Gimbutas herself, as well as interviews with her supporters and critics, Signs Out of Time reveals a visionary scholar whose theories challenged the “establishment” of her time and influenced a generation of scholars, feminists, and social thinkers.
Permaculture: The Growing Edge
Permaculture: The Growing Edge is an antidote to environmental despair, a hopeful and practical look at a path to a viable, flourishing future.
The film introduces us to inspiring examples of projects, including a visit to David Holmgren’s own homestead, tracking deer with naturalist Jon Young, sheet mulching an inner-city garden with Hunters Point Family, transforming an intersection into a gathering place with City Repair, and joining mycologist Paul Stamets as he cleans up an oil spill with mushrooms.
We interview some of the key figures in the Permaculture movement, including David Holmgren, Penny Livingston, James Stark, Paul Stamets, Mark Lakeman, Dr. Elaine Ingham, Maddy Harland, and others.