BELFAST, Maine — What do a short film about female mariachi musicians, a Belfast movie theater and a Bangor women’s health center have in common?
They are linked by Lunafest, a national film festival dedicated to raising funds for nonprofits and promoting awareness around women’s health. The festival will be presented at the Colonial Theatre in Belfast on Thursday night, featuring eight short films made by and about women. Proceeds from the one-night-only event will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center in Bangor. It is the first time the event has come to Belfast and the last time the short films will be shown locally this year. The films were shown at a nearly sold-out Alamo Theatre in Bucksport in April.
“There’s a variety of storytelling,” Abbie Strout, director of education and community engagement at the Mabel Wadsworth center, said Tuesday. “I like that it’s short films. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 15-year-old film festival, established by the makers of Luna energy bars, has raised $1.7 million over the years for a total of 1,094 local causes, according to its website. It also has raised $757,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund, an organization dedicated to eliminating environmental causes of breast cancer.
Strout said the proceeds from the Belfast event will be used to support general operating expenses for the Bangor clinic, which is the only private, nonprofit, freestanding feminist health center in Maine and one of only 14 in the nation. The clinic has a mission to provide sexual and reproductive health care to all women, regardless of age, sexual orientation or economic resources. It does not accept state or federal funding, instead relying on community support, she said.
“Helping support the center allows us to meet our mission,” Strout said. “Without private donations, we’d have a hard time doing that.”
Health services available at the Mabel Wadsworth center include prenatal care, abortion care, sexual and reproductive health care and hormone therapy for transgender people.
“Our philosophy of care is really putting people in charge of their bodies and making the best decision for their life,” Strout said.
She said she is hopeful there will be a good crowd of people at the Belfast Lunafest, an event that will include a raffle for prizes that include gift certificates at local restaurants. The types of short films range from animation to fictional drama and cover topics that cover women’s health, motherhood, body image, breaking barriers, aging and cultural diversity.
For information or tickets, call the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center at 947-5337. Tickets, which are $20, also will be available at the door, which opens at 6 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. show Thursday, June 18, at the Colonial Theatre in Belfast.