The Women’s Resource Center is hosting Lunafest, an annual feminist film festival, on Oct. 17 in honor of community member Carla Jo Dakin.

Dakin, who started this event at Fresno State, died in 2006 from breast cancer. Its mission is to spotlight the work of a diverse array of talented women filmmakers with “intelligent, funny and thought-provoking themes,” according to the festival’s website.

Lunafest, created by the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, was established in 2000 with the goals of supporting and nurturing the unsung work of talented women filmmakers. It also aims to raise funds and awareness for causes that help empower and give a voice to women from all walks of life.

“The films are so different. They are meaningful, independent films that people have put lots of time into, and that everyone can, in some way, connect to,” said Jessica Adams, coordinator of The Women’s Resource Center.

This is Fresno State’s eleventh year hosting Lunafest.

“It creates an environment to learn about breast cancer and that it takes a lot of people to carry through the process and acknowledge everyone who contributes to it,” Adams said.

Not only does Lunafest attempt to bring awareness, it also aims to raise funds for breast cancer research. For every dollar spent on film and raffle ticket sales, proceeds are split evenly between The Women’s Resource Center and the Breast Cancer Fund to fund further research.

Joury Robles, student organizer at the Women’s Resource Center, said, “It’s not just about breast cancer or women who face breast cancer; it’s about women who face different struggles, which allows more women to relate through the diversity in the films.”

Eight of the films can be previewed on lunafest.org.