Short Films Made By Women About Women Highlight Lunafest at BlueLight Cinemas

Poised to show off dynamic narratives about women and their causes, Lunafest honors and screens moving short films made by women about women, and Cupertino's celebration of women will be held on April 15 at .

The red carpet rollout begins at 2 p.m. and the film screen starts at 3 p.m.

What began in 2000 as a single fundraising event by nutrition bar-maker LUNA to promote women’s health is now a traveling film festival that visits 150 cities every year. Lunafest has raised more than $785,000 for women’s community nonprofit organizations since its inception.

, owner of BlueLight Cinemas, hopes to raise $2,000 or more in Cupertino’s Lunafest, which is hosted by TWIGS, a chapter of Quota International, a service group for women. All proceeds will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the American Cancer Society: .

“The goal of the festival is to bring people together to raise awareness about cancer prevention,” said Cohen.

One of nine films that will be shown at Lunafest this year is Laura Green’s Lady Razorbacks, a short black and white documentary depicting a Pacific Islander women’s rugby team in East Palo Alto breaking out of gender roles.

—a film about knit graffiti—was screened at BlueLight for Lunafest.

What makes Lunafest a “catalyst” for women’s voices is the ability for just one person to contribute in a plethora of ways such as hosting their own Lunafest or submitting a film.

Whether it’s a small personal gathering or a grand festival event, Lunafest offers a variety of avenues to host an event. They call it a “fundraiser-in-a-box” to illustrate its simplicity. The model provides basic resources and necessary materials such as timelines, posters, and copies of films and assists in conference calls and detailed planning assistance.

“We give everything they need to help promote their events,” said Lunafest spokeswoman Sabrina Chin.

About 850 films are submitted each year, and a team of directors and industry leaders narrow down the selection to nine, Chin said.

“We package our films to nonprofit organizations and at the end of the evening they get to keep 85 percent and 15 percent goes back to breast cancer fund.”

This year 20,000 viewers are expected to attend Lunafest. Topics of the nine featured films range from women breaking out of gender roles to overcoming the pains of childbirth, and a look at how an unmarried Persian woman avoids the alter.

Cohen says the women who participate come from all walks of life with the goal to raise awareness for women’s diseases such as breast cancer and prevention.

Advance purchase tickets are $15, or $20 at the door. Contact Jackie Cohen at 408-255-5002 to purchase tickets.

—Written by Michael Chen

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