Photo provided

In celebration of International Women's Day, the Women's Resource Center at Saint Mary's College will present LUNAFEST on Sunday March 7th. Lunafest is a series of short films by, for and about women. The traditional International Women's Day is on March 8, and celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Lunafest was established in 2000 by Luna, the makers of nutrition bars for women, to simultaneously promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women's issues, and support worthy women's nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. "From day one when the Luna bar was launched in 1999, we had been looking for ways to support women in other fashions," says Moraga resident Dean Mayer, Communications Manager at Cliff Bar & Company (the parent company to Luna), "women are very underrepresented in films today, and we thought that a women's film festival would be an interesting way to connect to women artists and bring them to the forefront."

Lunafest has grown from a single annual event to more than 140 festivals each season. "The entire program is a fund raiser for non-profit organizations," says Sabrina Chin, Lunafest Public Relations Manager, "our season runs from September/October to May and we enlist women's non-profits to hold their own festival." The small staff selects movies, with the help of an advisory board from the film community, and travels all over the world to screen them. "Every year we try to offer a variety of movies from humor, to drama, to animation," adds Chin, "the only commonality is that they should represent some part of women's experience."

This year's ten short films include "Plastic" by Sandy Widyanata, in which a young woman redefines her self-image moments before a first date; "DIY: Emancipation 101" by Lynn Robinson, a playful animation about women and bicycling; "A Summer Rain" by Ela Thier, that tells the story of a young Israeli immigrant struggling with her transition to American life; and many others.

The festival is designed to be a fundraiser for women's groups. 15% of the proceeds go The Breast Cancer Fund and the reminder is given at the discretion of the non-profit organization that hosts the festival. At Saint Mary's, 85% of the proceeds will go to The Body Positive, a non-profit group that works with adults and youth in a variety of settings to support positive body attitudes and self-care behaviors. There will also be a raffle and a dance performance at the event.

On Sunday, March 7th, the program will start at 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 3:30 p.m.) in the Hagerty Lounge inside De La Salle Hall. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $6 for students. The movies are rated PG. For more information about Lunafest go to www.lunafest.org.