Move over Cinderella, Snow White and Lois Lane and make way for Luna, because the day of the stereotypical damsel-in-distress waiting for her knight in shining armor has officially ended. Lunafest proves this with eight short, award-winning films written, directed and starring women, featured in UCSD’s second annual Luna-Bar-sponsored film festival to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund.

“The event was a great success last year. Over 350 people attended and we were able to raise over $5,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund,” said promotional manager Megan Kanofsky. “We figured if we could do this with just the first Lunafest, then we may as well try again this year to reach the same goals, or surpass them.”

The nonprofit event, made possible through the efforts of the Ladies of UCSD, with help from Luna Bar, a major sponsor, showcases films featuring life as a female, raising issues ranging from friendship and dating to menopause. The three women primarily responsible for the event, director Katie Gallete, event coordinator Rebecca Reyes, and Kanofsky made Lunafest possible with the help of the women of Kappa Alpha Theta and Chi Omega sororities. Though only in its second year at UCSD, Lunafest celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, marking a milestone, not only in bringing recognition to talented women in film, but also helping communities raise money for causes that are extremely relevant to women today.

The selection process for the films for the event is rigorous and the quality presented is a testament to that fact. Each contestant undergoes an initial screening for technical merit, is subjected to a 40-member community panel and then judged again by a group professional women who sit on the Lunafest board of advisors. Through this process, administrators chisel down the original 200 applicants to only eight films that earn the privilege of becoming a part of Lunafest.

“The films are another political medium on our campus in which those who attend can reflect and think critically about women’s issues and how these everyday actions [and] thoughts circulate in society,” Gallete said. “I would hope everyone is touched by some part of some film. In addition, supporting other women and women’s causes, [such as] the Breast Cancer Fund, the women filmmakers [and] the women who are all involved in the process of Lunafest, is worthy in itself.”

One of the festival’s most critically acclaimed films, “Twilight,” (directed and produced by Victoria Gamburg) tells the story of a woman searching for her missing daughter in St. Petersburg, Russia. The production boasts a number of awards, including Best Narrative Short from the San Francisco International Film Festival, Best Student Live Action Over 15 Minutes in the Palm Springs Shorts Fest and an official selection at both the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.

Another film, perhaps especially significant to American audiences, is an 11-minute look into the life of a mother whose army reserve unit is deployed to Iraq. The film, “One Weekend a Month,” delves into the often-overlooked difficulties of military motherhood, and the sacrifices women make daily to fulfill their simultaneous duties as mothers, women and human beings. “One Weekend a Month,” which was written and directed by Eric Escobar, earned the honor of being named an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival as well as an official selection of the American Film Insitute at AFI Fest.

The other films consist of a juxtaposition of light and serious selections, such as a cartoon documentary about senior-citizen dating by Liz Blazer, called “Backseat Bingo;” and a film about an Egyptian woman’s struggle to choose her daughter’s well-being over following the dictates of her culture, called “Tahara,” directed by Sarah Rashad.

Of the eight, two seem most relevant to UCSD’s female population, including one about the daughter of Asian immigrants who struggles with her parents’ high expectations, called “Perfection,” directed by Karen Lin, and another called “Blessing,” in which a daughter attempts to deal with her overbearing mother.

The Lunafest film festival begins at 6:30 p.m. on March 2 at Price Center Ballroom. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for the general public.