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

The Argonaut 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 ...


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