Photo by Lokemele DavisHaas Pavilion was filled to capacity Monday, Jan. 30 with students, prospective students, and community members all attending the sixth-annual Lunafest, a festival of short films by, for and about women.
The festival is presented at more than 100 venues nationwide. This year, Lunafest included a variety of films such as "Perfection," a tale of an Asian American woman's struggle to gain her parent's approval and "Laying Down Arms," a story of two women who forge a friendship through a mistaken phone call.
Lunafest was created by the owner of Luna Bar/Cliff Bar. The Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation Department, APER, brings the event to Mills each year in conjunction with the prospective student visiting day and overnight.
Lunafest donates 15 percent of its proceeds from each showing to the Breast Cancer Fund, leaving the rest of the profits to the venue that hosts the festival. Each year, Mills chooses to donate the remaining 85 percent of the profits to the organization as well.
"Because it is an event about and for women and the funds go directly to the Breast Cancer Fund, we fully support the cause," said APER Director Themy Adachi, who helped bring the festival to Mills.
"The films had a really strong message to them," said sophomore student-athlete Chrissy Fisher.
Freshwoman Mercedes Martin, who attended last year's Lunafest as a prospective student, agreed. "[The festival] was definitely more provocative than last year," she said.
Since 1997, Luna Bar has donated approximately $1 million to the Breast Cancer Fund. Cecily Peterson, Mills class of 1988 and representative of the Breast Cancer Fund, addressed the crowd after intermission. "We are very fortunate to have partnered with Luna Bar to receive their generosity," she said.
President Janet Holmgren attended the event. "I don't know anyone who has not been touched by the pain that goes along with cancer," she said as she urged the crowd to join in the fight.
"It takes creativity and it takes enthusiasm to find paths that we can follow together to support this endeavor," said Holmgren. "Lunafest is one such path dedicated to helping us prevent this tragic problem."
The Breast Cancer Fund focuses on the prevention of breast cancer, rather than finding a cure or providing services to sufferers. According to the organization, one in seven women will get breast cancer in her life; environmental causes account for about half of these cases.
Procedes from the event are still being tallied.
Currently, the organization is working on a number of
projects, including the
Safe Cosmetic Movement (www.safecosmetics.com).
For more information on Lunafest, including ways to catch future showings, visit www.lunabar.com/lunafest.
