January 22, 2007

LUNAFEST film festival benefits UCSC Women's Center

LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, highlighting women filmmakers, and bringing women together in their communities, will screen in Santa Cruz at the Rio Theater on Saturday, January 27.

LUNAFEST films are pulled from the top festivals across the nation including Tribeca, the Los Angeles Short Film Festival, and London International Film Festival. This year's films range from animated shorts to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women's health, body image, spirituality, relationships, cultural diversity, and breaking barriers. See below for a brief description of each of the films.

The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the films will be shown from 7 to 9 p.m. The Rio Theater is located at 1207 Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz.

Tickets are $5 students/$10 general, available at the UCSC Ticket Office at the Performing Arts Center. Phone (831) 459-2159 Tuesday-Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m., or call the UCSC Women's Center, (831) 459-2072.

All proceeds from the Santa Cruz LUNAFEST will go to WomenCARE, the UCSC Women's Center, and the Breast Cancer Fund. LUNAFEST, which is sponsored by the nutrition-bar maker LUNA, has raised over $100,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund and over $250,000 for other women's nonprofits.

Local Gold Circle Sponsors of the 2007 LUNAFEST include Seagate, New Leaf Community Markets, Visual INK, the Buttery, the Crepe Place, and the UCSC Women's Center.

The 2006-07 LUNAFEST films are as follows:

• Mann Ke Manjeere, directed by Sujit Sircar. Singer Shubha Mudgal vocals portray the journey of a courageous domestic violence survivor.

• Plum Flower, directed by Serena Moy. A mother and father in China in 1948 face a staggering moral choice when they have a fifth daughter--based on the true story of the filmmaker’s family.

• Slip of the Tongue, directed by Karen Lum. Be careful what you ask a stranger at a bus stop; a look at perceptions of beauty, ethnicity, and body image define "ethnic makeup."

• Breached, directed by Laura Richard. A Mexican women is nearing delivery and is determined to have her baby on American soil.

• City Paradise, directed by Gaelle Denis. Tomoko, who arrives from Japan to learn English, accidentally discovers a mysterious, secret city underground, inhabited by friendly little aliens and beautiful blossoms.

• Top of the Circle, directed by Shaz Bennett. This experimental performance piece explores the cycle of life and death--and bacon bits.

• Dear Talula, directed by Lori Benson. A quintessential downtown New Yorker is diagnosed with breast cancer just 14 months after the birth of her daughter, Talula.

• Kylie Goldstein--All American, directed by Eva Saks. A documentary about a Chinese-adopted all-American 6-year-old.

• Agricultural Report, directed by Melina Sydney Padu. A concerned cow discovers the bliss of ignorance.

Preview this year's films.