10/4/2004

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

‘LUNAFEST’ WOMEN’S FILM SERIES COMING TO SRU OCT. 20

           SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- LUNAFEST, a film series by, for and about women, will come to the Slippery Rock University campus at 7 p.m. Oct. 20, as a way of providing exposure for emerging women filmmakes and a way of raising funds for The Breast Cancer Fund.

            is a national film festival that began in 2001 to provide national exposure for emerging women filmmakers and to support The Breast Cancer Fund.

           This year's films, set for presentation in Strain Behavioral Science Building, will address a provocative array of women-specific themes ranging from the media's manipulation of the female body to a coming- of-age story set during the Mexican Revolution. Tickets, $3 for students and $5 for general public, for the event hosted by the SRU Women's Studies Program, are available at the Women's Center.  The first 50 purchasers of non-student tickets will receive LUNAFEST mouse pads.

           The festival will feature seven films embodying a wide range of topics, including women's health, sexuality, spirituality, cultural diversity, body image and the environment.  The titles of this year's LUNAFEST winners are: "A Good Uplift," "Shui Hen," "Little Black Boot," "Wet Dreams and False Images," "Velvet Tigress," “La Milpa/The Cornfield" and "Dysenchanted."

           LUNAFEST, launched in 2001, kicked off  this year in September in Berkeley, Calif., and continues with screenings at more than 60 theaters across the country through March.  As part of its goal to generate awareness of women's issues the film series has raised more than $25,500 for breast cancer work. The SRU Women's Studies Program will donate 15 percent of its proceeds to TBCF, a national non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the environmental causes of breast cancer.

           Dr. Jace Condravy, professor of English and director of Women's Studies, commented, "This kind of festival is a new venture for the Women's Studies Program, and I'm really excited because it not only generates financial support for one of the most important health issues for women today, but also provides a wonderful community event for women and their friends, families, partners, husbands and boyfriends."

           The project’s mission is to empower women by supporting women filmmakers; to give women a voice, by showcasing women's issues, stories and stand-out moments; to support women's health, by generating awareness and donating a portion of the proceeds to The Breast Cancer Fund; and to give local organizations, non-profits and college groups an empowering voice and creative way to help fundraise for their organizations.

     LUNAFEST is produced by LUNA, the whole nutrition bar for women.

PN, PgN, WPN, PR