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April 26, 2008 |
WERC to Host
3rd Annual LUNAfest Film Festival
The Women’s Economic Resource Center will host their third
annual LUNAFEST Film Festival Saturday May 10th at
6:30pm at the Historic Ramdsell Theater in Manistee. These
international award-winning films tackle issues of war, death,
homelessness, happiness, homosexuality, family ties, women in
sports competition, cosmetic surgery, and motherhood.
“This
film festival features nine short films by, for, and about
women,” said Judy Crockett from the Women’s Economic
Resource Center. “These films celebrate and inspire women
through the art of film and community fundraising. If you love
good films, you will love LUNAFEST, men and women alike.”
How important is a birthday cake? Make a Wish is a
12-minute film about a young Palestinian girl who will do
whatever it takes to buy a birthday cake. This film has a
surprise ending.
My Other Mother deals with the issue of crib death, or “cot” death as it
is known in Africa. When her baby sister dies, Margo’s other
mother shows her how to grieve.
In the two-minute animated Mrs. Ana, homeless Mrs. Ana
is the seller of medicinal plants in Medellin, Columbia. She
shares the joys and hardships of her life along with her love of
strawberries.
For some women, buying new shoes brings happiness.
Seventy-one percent of women would buy more shoes if they could
afford to, and fifty percent acknowledge they sacrifice comfort
for style. Director Sophie Barthes from New York introduces us
to Iwona, who buys a box of Happiness at a strange
discount store and has to decide what to do with it.
Keeping a secret for some means hiding a part of themselves.
For Katrin, keeping her secret means leaving her native Iceland,
in this whimsical tale of family secrets, only to return to find
hers is not the only story in the family. Director Isold
Uggadottir of New York reveals prejudices of homosexuality in
this nineteen-minute film filmed in part in Iceland.
If you have ever been embarrassed by your mother and thought
“I’ll never be like her,” then looked in the mirror one
day and saw your mother in yourself, you will appreciate the
animated work of director Ru Kuwahata. In Daikon Ashi, a
young girl struggles with adolescent rebellion and the reality
of family ties.
Women were excluded from the original Olympic Games, so in
776 B.C. they formed their own games, The Games of Hera,
honoring the Greek goddess of women and earth. Women were
formally allowed to join Olympic competition in 1900. Breaking
Boundaries: The Sondra Van Ert Story is a documentary of
female athlete’s determination and success by Director
Jennifer Grace of Bozeman, Montana.
Movies, magazines, and commercial advertising tell women
beauty is attainable through cosmetic surgery, lotions, and
creams. Award-winning director Jesse Erica Epstein tells a male
dancer’s comical story about his prominent nose and the effect
it has on his career in The Guarantee.
The final film in the nine-film LUNAFEST Film Festival is
only three minutes in length. Screened in Turkey, Australia, and
Los Angels, Pockets is directed by Sophia Ohara. In this
animated short film, a pocket becomes an abstract metaphor for
the journey of motherhood.
Of the top 250 grossing films of 2005, only 17% of all
directors, executive producers, writers, cinematographers, and
editors were women. In 2005, only 7% of film directors were
women. LUNAFEST highlights the contributions of women to film.
To learn more about the films and the stories behind them, visit
www.lunafest.org.
“This is the third LUNAFEST Film Festival we have held in
Manistee,” said Crockett. “Each year, we are more impressed
with the captivating intellect, humor, and story-telling of
these short films. WERC is proud to sponsor this festival and
celebrate the work of these writers, directors, and producers,
and to bring a program of this quality to our communities. Men
and women alike with appreciate this event.”
Tickets for the film festival are $25 and are available at
Wahr Hardware, Goody’s Juice and Java, and Suvi Boutique in
Manistee and at Closson’s Jewelry in Ludington. The cost of
admission includes the film festival, as well as a cocktails and
hors d’ oeuvres social following the films. Doors open at
6:30pm. The films begin at 7:00pm and the social follows at
8:30pm. The event will be held at the Historic Ramsdell Theater
on Maple Street in Manistee.
LUNAFEST net proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Fund as well
as the local Women’s Economic Resource Center Giving Circle
Fund at the Manistee County Community Foundation.
LUNAFEST is a program of WERC. For more information visit the
WERC website at www.manisteewerc.org.
The mission of WERC is to support the professional development
and leadership of women and girls.
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