“Close Ties to Home Country” is just one of the films that will screen at this year’s LUNAFEST event (film still courtesy of LUNAFEST).
The fundraising film festival dedicated to championing women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities returns to the Valley this month for its seventh consecutive year.
For the past 21 years, LUNAFEST, which is created and funded by LUNA nutrition bars, has celebrated a powerful and diverse set of women filmmakers and given their short films a national platform. Their first event was a small screening in California. Since then, they’ve celebrated and shared the work of more than 170 women filmmakers, raising over $6.5 million for local women’s causes. Now their unique platform is showcased at more than 200 events each season, creating impact through dollars raised and awareness built toward some of the most pressing issues facing society today.
The Phoenix festival will feature seven short films. The event will benefit local nonprofit Soroptimist International of Phoenix (www.siphx.org), whose mission is to empower women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment, and Chicken & Egg Pictures (www.chickeneggpics.org), a nonprofit organization that supports women nonfiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change.
The film festival will take place in person at Madison Performing Arts Center, 5601 N. 16th St., Sunday, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m., as well as virtually at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. A streaming link and password will be sent to all those that have purchased tickets the morning of the event. Purchasers will have 48-hour access to view the films until 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7.
Tickets are $35 for the in-person event; $20 per household for the virtual screening. For additional information, visit www.lunafest.org/screenings.
