5th Annual LUNAFEST(TM) Announces Film Selections; Senior Sex, the Battle for Perfection, Child Care, Menopause, and Cultural Pressures Encompassed in Diverse Array of Films.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- LUNAFEST, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year as the only national touring festival of films by, for, and about women, has announced its winning selections for 2005. LUNAFEST, produced by LUNA(R), the whole nutrition bar for women(TM), provides a national platform for emerging women filmmakers to share their stories.

The eight winning films were selected from more than 200 submissions and made their way through a multi-stage judging process. Held as benefits in cities across the nation through the sponsorship of a local woman's organization, LUNAFEST also raises awareness of, and contributions for, the Breast Cancer Fund as well as the hosting organization.

BACKSEAT BINGO, by Liz Blazer
An animated documentary about the romantic lives of senior citizens

ONE WEEKEND A MONTH, by Eric Escobar
A mother in the National Guard struggles to figure out who will take
care of her children when he is ordered to Iraq.

TAHARA, by Sara Rashad
Amina, an Egyptian housewife in Los Angeles, must decide whether to
circumcise her daughter.

BLESSING, by Suju Vijayan
A daughter has to deal with their often overbearing, sometimes
embarrassing mother.

TWILIGHT, by Victoria Gamburg
A story about loss, despair and the possibility of redemption, set in
the Russian city of St. Petersburg during its strange White Nights,
when darkness never falls.

PERFECTION, by Karen Lin
The board game Perfection mirrors an Asian American woman's struggle
to achieve success and her parent's approval. Ultimately she must
decide whether to end the game.

LAYING DOWN ARMS, by Carol Schreder
A troubled young woman and an elderly holocaust survivor, engage in a
conversation that transforms both of their lives.

MABEL'S SAGA / LE VOYAGE DE MABELLE, by JoDee Samuelson
The film blends animation with a lush musical landscape in which
Mabel, juggling the demands of work, teenagers and an elderly mother,
is confronted with hot flashes and chin hairs in a touching and funny
film which celebrates menopause.

Please visit www.lunabar.com/lunafest.