The traveling film fest for women by women makes its eighth pilgrimage around the nation this year to at least 150 cities. Established in 2000 By LUNA, makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for women, Lunafest is that rare grass-roots looking, corporate charity fixer that packages women’s issues, independent cinema, and local charities into what it calls a “fundraiser in a box.” Any individual connected with a group that empowers women can host Lunafest in their city. To be considered as a host for Lunafest, one must first fill out an application. This year’s Lunafest at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center is sponsored by the Soroptimist International of Manhattan Beach. According to their website, last year Lunafest raised $656,000 for their main beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Fund. By hosting this event, SIMB hopes to simultaneously raise funds for women’s groups that they work with throughout the year. The eighth Lunafest will feature nine short movies, below is the official trailer of 2014’s Lunafest.
One film showcases the competitive nature of a woman’s basketball team whose average age is somewhere in the seventies. “Granny’s Got Game” by filmmaker Angela Alford documents a group of senior women from North Carolina who play hoops on a team called the “Fabulous Seventies.” Another film showcases the feats of a female wrestler on an all boys high school wrestling team. The nine films range from animation to documentary, from serious topics to lighthearted moments, from filmmakers overseas – Norway, the Netherlands, Greece, and Australia – to New York. They also range in length from 21 minutes to under four minutes.
To find out how to purchase tickets to Lunafest at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center this Sunday from 2 to 5pm, visit our website. Learn more about the history and mission of Lunafest on their official website www.lunafest.org.
