Girls, y’all got one
A night that’s special everywhere
From New York to Hollywood
It’s ladies night and girl the feeling’s good
 – Kool & The Gang, from Ladies Night

Today is Galentine’s Day, a day where you meet up with your girlfriends at a restaurant and have a gals-only leisurely breakfast. No cooking or baking. No clean-up. Much-needed R&R. Who needs Valentine’s Day when you have Galentine’s Day? But once this special occasion day is over, it doesn’t mean you have to wait until February 13th to have an annual get-together with your girlfriends.

Think ahead to March 19th, and start planning a fabulous Ladies’ Night Out. Make a long list. Pick up the phone. Blast an e-mail. Send out a text. Gather all of your girlfriends and tell them about LUNAFEST – a traveling film festival of award-winning short films “by, for and about women.” LUNAFEST seeks to “connect women through film,” which makes it the perfect destination for you and your women friends.

LUNAFEST premiere, September 2013. An awesome women filmmakers’ night!

But the film festival is more than just a fun night out, though there is a lot of emphasis on fun. Established in 2000 by LUNA, makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, the film festival raises funds for its main beneficiary, The Breast Cancer Fund, a national organization dedicated to “preventing breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation linked to the disease.” When organizations across the country host their LUNAFEST film festival, they also support local nonprofit groups. So when you attend, you’re supporting a community-wide fundraising event. The LUNAFEST East Bay Organizing Committee, in its ninth year, is raising funds for the El Cerrito Community Foundation and El Cerrito High School’s Information Technology Academy (ITA), a small learning community supported by the nonprofit organization, TechFutures. ITA integrates core academic classes with the technology field, comprising digital art, web design, and computer systems management.

LUNAFEST East Bay Committee’s ladies’ night at the 2014 premiere in San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts.

For the third straight year, we’re hosting a dessert circle after the film screening. Local small-business Braxtons’ Boxes will be tempting you and your friends with cookies and cupcakes. Well-Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar (6925 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito, CA) is graciously donating complimentary decaffeinated and regular coffee, completing the local community aspect of LUNAFEST in the East Bay.

Get inspired by the filmmakers’ unique visions and artistry. Support worthy causes and organizations. Seek elimination of breast cancer. Commune with your girlfriends. Meet new friends. Be a part of the local and larger community. Prepare to be delighted, touched, and engaged. All in one magical evening.

Women filmmakers and performers at the 2014 LUNAFEST premiere in San Francisco.

Doors open at 7pm, with the event starting at 7:30pm, at the El Cerrito High School’s Performing Arts Center, 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.