A reason to celebrate — LunaFest returns to Moscow for its 12th year

Incarcerated women performing stand-up comedy, elderly women creating a synchronized swimming routine, a Syrian refugee teaching her siblings how to read — these are some of the images that filled the screen of the Kenworthy Performing Art Centre Thursday night, bringing the audience both to laughter and tears.

“What I love about this night is that these films share stories of women living different lives, in different countries, coming from different backgrounds,” said Bekah MillerMacPhee, the assistant director of programs for the Women’s Center. “It’s all about finding common ground.”

LunaFest returned to Moscow for its 12th year, showcasing short independent films by, for and about women. The event is a traveling nationwide festival hosted by Luna, a company that manufactures whole nutrition bars.

In Moscow, the Women’s Center hosts LunaFest and raises funds primarily for the Breast Cancer Fund. The center also uses extra funds to put toward the Betsy Thomas Gender Equality Scholarship, which is awarded to two University of Idaho students each year for their efforts in gender equality justice.

MillerMacPhee said the event is beloved by members of the Moscow and UI community. The films shown at LunaFest can’t be seen anywhere else. With the gloomy weather and midterm exams in early March, she said the festival is a reprieve and a way for the members of the community to reconnect with each other.

“The festival gives people living in Moscow the chance to see and enjoy films they normally wouldn’t find in a town as small as Moscow,” MillerMacPhee said.

In addition to the films selected by the nationwide festival, Moscow’s LunaFest showcases films made by local students and filmmakers in the Palouse area.

Hunter Funk, a UI student studying broadcasting and digital media, entered her film, “Girls Academy,” into the festival.

Funk captured footage of her sorority hosting a retreat for girls at Moscow Middle School. The retreat, called Girls Inspiring Respect Leadership and Service (GIRLS), focuses on building self-confidence and leadership skills through different activities and workshops.

Funk said she loved watching her film on the big screen in front of an audience.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” Funk said. “The reaction from the crowd and the mood it put in the room was amazing. I’m honestly still smiling.”

Friday night was the third time Moscow’s LunaFest featured local films. Lysa Salsbury, the director of the Women’s Center, said the center wanted to give local filmmakers a chance to share their talent in front of a large audience, because renting a theater can be expensive.

While there are a few festivals in town open to local submissions, Salsbury said these must go through a jury process. At Moscow’s LunaFest, Salsbury said they show nearly all the films submitted and align with LunaFest’s message, opening the opportunity to many local artists.

“It’s always been a community event, a feel-good event,” Salsbury said. “That feels good for people to support because they are supporting their friends and their neighbors.”

Salsbury said LunaFest is an important event for Moscow to support because women are underrepresented in the film industry at all levels. She said women make up less than 10 percent of producers and directors in the industry.

Even the content of films themselves lack a female perspective, Salsbury said. Referencing the Bechdel-Wallace Test, she said most mainstream films never have scenes where two female protagonists are talking about something besides a man.

“That’s the product of male filmmakers, which makes this event so important,” Salsbury said. “We need to highlight women’s work, raise it up, give it an audience and celebrate it.”

Claire Manley, a UI student, attended LunaFest for the second time this year. She said the film that most struck her was “Free to Laugh.” The short film was a documentary telling the stories of women who had been incarcerated in prison and participated in a stand-up comedy workshop.

“When they said the crimes they did, I immediately judged them at first,” Manley said. “But when I heard their stories, I got a whole new perspective and they seemed like completely new people. It showed me that laughter really is the cure to everything.”

Salsbury described the night as a “celebration.”

“A lot of the work we do at the Women’s Center can be very heavy and difficult, focused on bringing awareness to the hardships and challenges of women,” Salsbury said. “This night is always so positive and upbeat, and we need that. We need a reason to celebrate.”

Taryn Hadfield can be reached at [email protected]

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