Equinox Film Festival reaches new heights

PALMER — The fourth annual Equinox Women’s Film Festival saw its greatest number of attendance, with over 70 people coming through the Glenn Massay Theater last Saturday. Created by the Mat-Su chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), this annual event has a lot of potential to grow if more people get involved, meaning more Alaskan filmmakers and more volunteers.

“When people come they enjoy it; we get nothing but positive responses. We just need to get the word out,” said Mat-Su NOW President, Lisa Boyles.

This was the most well attended event, according to Boyles. About 13 people showed up last year and about 35 the year before. The addition of 12 local vendors seemed to pull more people into the festival and keep them there longer, she said.

“They [vendors] loved it they thought it was a good crowd,” Boyles said.

Table space was free for this event. Waffles and Whatnot’s food truck sat outside the theater, selling sweet and savory dishes. Women — with some men and children in the mix — browsed the assorted wares and mingled with a particularly creatively-driven crowd. Boyles said they focused on having locally made crafts and goods at this event.

“I would definitely do it again,” said one vendor, Sonya Funaro.

Funaro owns Just Botanicals, an organic skincare business in Palmer. She didn’t get to watch as many films as she wanted, but she enjoyed what she saw.

“I thought they were very powerful,” Funaro said.

She didn’t catch as many movies as she planned because she was happily immersed in a crowd of “creative and intelligent women.” She said she met a lot of great people. She signed up a few women for her upcoming cleansing balm workshop and made some valuable connections. The combination of the Glenn Massay Theater, the immersion of local business women, and the thought provoking, emotional films seemed to push the feminist mission forward, according to Funaro.

“That allowed for a group of like-minded ladies to come in and be a part of the conversation and learn new information from the films,” Funaro said.

This event is one of the ongoing actions the Mat-Su NOW volunteers take each year. Throughout the year, they attend other events like the Women’s March and Pride Festival, protesting and advocating for their six core feminist values which include: advancing reproductive rights, economic justice, providing diversity and ending racism, equal rights, advocating for the LGBT community, and ending violence against women. Last week, the Mat-Su Now volunteers donated 35 bags of goodie bags filled with feminine products at MyHouse, the Valley’s homeless youth shelter.

The Mat-Su NOW chapter aims to be a part of the Colony Days parade, according to past president, Barbara McDaniel. They hope to set up a tent and offer free information and games to play much, as they did at the Pride Festivals in Anchorage and Talkeetna. They plan to have giant bubble makers, props and costumes for photos, face painting, and more activities to engage the public.

“We would prefer to raise awareness and promote diversity in our own area,” McDaniel said.

The Mat-Su chapter of NOW has a working relationship with the Mat-Su College. Instructors of the Women and Gender Studies classrooms send their students to engage with community mentors on projects related to the mentor’s expertise. McDaniel said that she enjoys being a mentor.

“It’s worked really well there’s been a lot of interesting projects,” McDaniel said.

The Mat-Su NOW group is always seeking more volunteers to help them expand their efforts. They want to see more Alaskan women to submit their films to Equinox. To submit films to next year’s festival, visit Filmfreeway.com and search for Equinox. To get in touch with the volunteers, look up “Mat-Su NOW” on Facebook. You can call them at 907-355-3204 and email them at NOW@mtaonline.net

“It’s time for a newer generation to step up and fill these roles,” McDaniel said. “And they seem to be doing it and I’m glad.”