Lunafest ‘07 kicks off in LA, with a Green Carpet Event

by CBB correspondent Ciaran

Last week in LA, stars walked the Green Carpet to catch the first screening of Lunafest ‘07, a collection of short films by, for and about women. The film festival is a travelling event and may be coming to a screen near you.Paramount Studios donated their posh private theater space on the Paramountlot for the event. All proceeds from ticket sales benefited CHEC, a children’s charity dedicated to children’s health and environmental safety.Several celeb moms lent their names to the cause, including BrookeShields (mom to Rowan, 3 and Grier, 10 months), Laura Dern (mom toEllery, 5, and Jaya, 2) and hostess Amy Brenneman (mom to Charlotte, 6,and Bodhi, 1). Amy, a captivating speaker, really drove the pointstraight home commenting how we don’t think about what products we useto clean our floors, until we have small children at home licking thosefloors on a daily basis.

Both CHEC and all of the films made an impression on the audience.Several of the filmmakers were in attendance, including filmaker/momLori Benson (pictured left with her daughter and Amy). Her film, "Dear Talula," documented her diagnosis withbreast cancer just 14 short months after becoming a mother to daughterTalula. The film was raw and intense, but ultimately uplifting. Evenmore so, later on that evening, seeing a bright and spritelike 5 year oldTalula happily flitting between her mom and the many guests. She wasthe darling of the night. The films crossed boundaries of race,ethnicity, culture, and class but all were elementally tied to amessage of empowerment. The power of women to change the world for thebetter, one small act at time. It’s a message near and dear to a mom’sheart. We know how our smallest choices make a world of difference toour kids.

Other celebs in attendance included Melora Hardin (mom to Rory 6, andPiper 1) of The Office, Kate Vernon (mom to Annabelle, 6) of Battlestar Gallactica, Jessica Tuck (mom to Samara, 4) of Wild Hogsand Maggie Grace. Guests attended a reception with food and winedonated by Whole Foods Market. And lucky VIPs left with goody bagsstuffed with CHEC certified child and mommy friendly goodies from vendors such as Baby Soy clothing, Sigg Sippy cups, Boon, ONE coconut water, Dagoba Chocolate, Josha wipes, and of course, plenty of yummy and healthy snacks from Luna.

To learn more about Lunafest and the charities it benefits and cities it will tour to, check out the calendar at Lunafest.org.