Movies galore: Two fests this week highlight women filmmakers

EVERETT — Hedy Lamarr was more than a glamorous actress during Hollywood’s golden age. She not only has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she got an asteroid named after her, the 32730 Lamarr.

A movie about her, “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” will be shown Saturday at the Everett Film Festival. Her daughter Denise Loder-DeLuca, a Seattle artist, will do a Q&A following the film about her mom, who was also an inventor.

This week, there are two different film festivals, in Everett and Edmonds, both highlighting women and women filmmakers. Lunafest, by Zonta Club of Everett, is Thursday at The Edmonds Theater.

The Everett Film Festival, launched in 1997 to highlight the strength, humor and creativity of women through provocative and entertaining films, is back after a pandemic break.

“We are going to run it pretty lean and compact this year just so we can do it,” said Teresa Henderson, director of the Everett festival.

Lean?

The eight-hour event has 11 screenings, including animations, documentaries, narrative features and shorts.

Revenue from the event is used to keep it going the next year.

“We pour it all back in,” Henderson said.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with shows starting at 1 p.m. The festival is at the Everett Community College Jackson Center, 2000 Tower St.

Admission is $40 and includes popcorn and snacks. Wine is for purchase.

Lunafest, with eight short films, is by the Zonta Club of Everett to raise money for supporting women and girls through scholarships and grants to local nonprofits.

“It is supportive of women in the arts and specifically in film while also supporting other projects that we do locally. So it’s a win-win,” said Carrie Blair, Zonta Club area district director. Other clubs in the international organization also participate in Lunafest.

“The content varies every year,” Blair said.

Lunafest is 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $35 and include a glass of wine upon entry to the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St.

Can’t make it? Attend a virtual event, also $35, that offers a link for the films that will be live for 48 hours. Wine not included.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.

Lunafest lineup, Sept. 8, Edmonds Theater

“How to be at Home” by Andrea Dorfman, Halifax, Nova Scotia. An animated poem about coping with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Close Ties to Home Country” by Akanksha Cruczynski, Chicago. An immigrant dog walker finds connection in the hearts of the wealthy pets she cares for.

“Generation Impact: The Coder” by Samantha Knowles, Brooklyn, New York. A 13-year-old girl designs and builds a mobile app to help kids stay connected to their incarcerated parents by sending photos and letters.

“Proof of Loss” by Katherine Fisher, Los Angeles. When a fire takes their home, a father and daughter must find a way to salvage what remains: each other.

“When You Clean a Stranger’s Home” by Sharon Arteaga, Austin, Texas. A first-generation high school student describes what she and her mom learn about people when cleaning their homes.

“Between the Lines: Liz at Large” by Abi Cole, Weaverville, North Carolina. Frustrated with the lack of character diversity in The New Yorker’s cartoons, an artist submits her own illustrations, becoming the first Black woman cartoonist in the magazine’s near-century run.

“Wearable Tracy” by Emily McAllister, Carnelian Bay, California. A Bronx woman’s accidental social experiment connects her with fellow New Yorkers who might otherwise forever remain strangers.

“To the Future, with Love” by Shaleece Haas and Hunter “Pixel” Jimenez, Los Angeles. An animated self-portrait of a nonbinary trans teen caught between the expectations of a Guatemalan immigrant family and dreams of living happily ever after with a long-distance boyfriend.

Everett Film Festival, Sept. 10, Everett Community College Jackson Center

“Pooling” by Dawn Westlake. Fanciful Short: This imaginative hybrid between animation and live action showcases the breakdancing of a talented Barcelona artist as it portrays a human being — and, symbolically, a democracy — falling to pieces, then pulling it all back together.

“Lotte Reiniger: The Unsung Heroine of Animation” by Anna Humphries. Animated Documentary: Though overshadowed by Disney Studios, it was Charlotte (Lotte) Reiniger who created the first animated feature film in 1926, using her own camera technique. Disney studied it and released “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” 11 years later.

“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” by Alexandra Dean. Documentary: Yes, Hedy Lamarr was a glamorous Hollywood movie star, but she was more than a pretty face. Lamarr came up with the idea for the technology that would later be used in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. We can thank her for our current connectivity.

“Seeing Brave” by Dana Cook. Documentary Shorts: Three trailblazing women find ways to make the world a better place by providing bicycles to help East African girls get to school safely; supporting Syrian children as they deal with the trauma of refugee camps; and helping Rwandan women lift themselves from poverty through gardening.

“From on High” by Dawn Westlake. Short: Filmed in Spain, this is the story of a Syrian refugee girl and a European boy who find a way — despite the prejudices that surround them — to nurture a friendship as they create a bright, high-flying kite that brings together both of their religious traditions.

“Spin the Barrel” by Megan Wennberg. Narrative Short: A troubled teen gets hold of a gun and leads her friends into a potentially deadly game.

“Nellie Bly Makes the News” by Penny Lane. Animated Documentary: The story of legendary investigative journalist Nellie Bly, who famously got herself locked up in an asylum for a sensational expose, then traveled around the world in a record-breaking 72 days. She changed the game for women in reporting before they even had the right to vote.

“Perfect 36: When Women Won the Vote” by Yoshie Lewis. Documentary: Riveting story of the final chapter in the struggle for U.S. women’s suffrage. All eyes were on Tennessee in 1920 as the last hope, though a very long shot, to ratify the 19th Amendment.

“Driving Lessons” by Marziyeh Riahi. Narrative Short: An entertaining portrayal of an Iranian woman’s efforts to learn to drive, despite the bossy backseat comments of her traditional husband, who must ride along since it’s against the law for her to be alone with the instructor.

“Sophie and the Rising Sun” by Maggie Greenwald. Feature: Set in 1941, a young Japanese man mysteriously arrives in a small South Carolina fishing village, where a shared interest in art leads to a friendship with a local woman. As their relationship deepens, and anti-Asian sentiment rises around them, they must make courageous decisions.