This terrific new film by Alexandra Dean tells the story of Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr, who was known as the world’s most beautiful woman – Snow White and Cat Woman were both based on her iconic look. However, her arresting looks and glamorous life stood in the way of her being given the credit she deserved, as an ingenious inventor, whose pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communication. Mislabelled as “just another pretty face,” Hedy’s true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. She was an Austrian-Jewish emigre who invented a covert communication system to try and help defeat the Nazis, then gave her patent to the Navy, but was ignored and told to sell kisses for war bonds instead. It was only towards the very end of her life that tech pioneers discovered her concept, which is now used as the basis for secure WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth.
After the screening, Mia Bays from the agency-for-change Birds’ Eye View will host a discussion about the film and about Hedy Lamarr with Harriet Harris, Head of Digital Features at Stylist and the author of the wonderful new book She: A Celebration of Renegade Women, which features Hedy Lamarr and is coming out on International Women’s Day. https://www.amazon.co.uk/
