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Film series benefits cancer awareness, Sojourn House
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
By William Rinehart
A&E Reporter
In the world of YouTube, Dailymotion and Myspace, it is easy to get swept up in the deluge of poorly written and produced short films. One minute you are looking for “Submission,” the short film, and the next thing you know, you are watching a commercial for AXE body spray. It gets even more disparaging ArtsEntertainment.htmlwhen you try to find several videos on one subject without any filler.
This is why film festivals are helpful. All of the guesswork is taken out of the equation.
On March 28, a traveling film festival called Lunafest visited Springfield with a showing in the Trutter Center at Lincoln Land Community College.
Lunafest was started in 2000 by Luna, the markers of the nutritional bar for women. The twist with this festival is that every short film is specifically for and about women by women. To add to this, all of the proceeds go to raise awareness concerning women. At the onset, Luna asks all organizers to donate 15 percent of the proceeds to beast cancer awareness, and for this year, the sponsoring organization for Lunafest, the Feminist Activist Coalition at LLCC, decided to donate the rest to the Sojourn House.
In total, there were nine shorts, ranging from a documentary to two animated films with every variation of a movie short in between. While all of the short films were captivating and interesting, the production quality among all of them was a little uneven.
One standout was called “Happiness.” In it, a woman named Iwona stumbles upon a discount store that sells little boxes printed simply with the word happiness. After asking the lady behind the counter how long it will last, she says that some experience it for a couple fleeting moments, while others have it for a lifetime. The rest of the film deals with Iwona and her decision to open the box.
Despite its absurd plot line, the film does an excellent job of showing the implications of living in a sterile world like the one Iwona is so accustomed to.
Another film that had power was called “Make a Wish.” This short focuses on a young Palestinian girl and her zeal to buy a birthday cake. Although the short lasts about ten minutes, it spans an entire day honestly displaying the struggles of people living in the Ramallah region of the West Bank.
Finally, there was a short called “Family Reunion” by Isold Uggadottir. In the opening scene introduces Katrin, a native of Iceland, and her girlfriend, as they live in a New York City apartment.
Although the film starts in the States, the real action occurs when Katrin goes back to her island and tries to confront her parents about her sexual orientation. Uggadottir offers a unique and poignant look at sexuality in what seems to be a conservative society.
While “Happiness,” “Make a Wish” and “Family Reunion” were standouts for me, all of the short movies had enduring qualities. It was refreshing to see new directors, new stories, and new films without spending all of the time digging through the Internet. If there is anything to be learned anything from film festivals, they broaden your scope and expose you to movies that you might not have seen otherwise. So, get out there, get out of your comfort zone, and see some great films.
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