LUNAFEST May 10, 2008 in Manistee

MANISTEE - - - 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.