Zonta FilmFest provides space for women in film to thrive
The Panther spoke with the co-chair of Newport Harbor’s chapter of the Zonta Club to learn more about the film festival they’re launching and what attendees can expect from it. Photos courtesy of Rosa Coletto
When Hilary Kaye was invited to a screening of student thesis films by Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, she learned very quickly not to underestimate the talent of the next generation of filmmakers.
“I was blown away with how good the quality was,” Kaye told the Panther. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Kaye is the co-chair of Newport Harbor’s chapter of the Zonta Club, an organization led by women that is dedicated to several causes, including domestic violence, human trafficking and gender equality. She has been part of the club for eight years.
In the past, they would hold a LunaFest film festival, which has been their sole fundraising event — something that sets the Newport chapter apart from others across the globe. In a partnership with Dodge College, the club would screen several different student films in order to raise money for scholarships, as well as grants for different local service projects focused on helping women thrive.
This year, they were unable to put on LunaFest due to the sponsor putting things on pause for the entirety of 2024. However, in its place, they started something new: Zonta FilmFest. This year’s event will be held in the Folino Theater at Marion Knott Studios from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“Even though LunaFest stopped, I kind of felt (that) the show must go on, and we’re doing that ourselves. We have such a nice relationship with Dodge (College) that it was just a natural evolution, doing (Zonta FilmFest).”
This year, the film festival will be showing six student films. “Seeing With Hawaiian Eyes” is one of the films being showcased.
Kaye is particularly excited that Zonta Club will have its own festival after years of films being brought to them and sponsored by an outside organization. She described it as a “labor of love from all the members.”
Half of the proceeds from Zonta FilmFest aid young women in need of scholarships to attend Dodge College, and the other half goes to Laura’s House, a nonprofit organization committed to helping women who have been or are currently victims of domestic violence.
Six student films — made by women, for women — will be presented, but that’s not the only draw of the festivities. There is plenty of fun to go around, and Kaye encourages students to bring their friends and family.
“We’ll have food tables, (and) there’s a no-host wine bar — they have to pay for that, but the food is included in the ticket,” Kaye said. “(There will be) a silent auction, a lot of mingling and then we’re gonna see three films. Then there’s a little fireside chat with (film director and Chapman professor) Christine Fugate, and then there’ll be a twenty-minute intermission with cookies before more silent auction opportunities and then the other three films.”
If the promise of food and great films wasn’t enough, there’s yet another added incentive. This year, the Zonta Club is doing its first raffle. For $50, one lucky winner will get seven nights at a condo in Kauai, Hawaii in addition to a $500 gift card for a restaurant on the island. Participants don’t have to be present at the event and can purchase raffle tickets online.
Kaye emphasized that the Zonta Club is always open to new members, and she hopes that Chapman students will heed the call and join the club. There is an application for interested parties, but all it takes is coming to a meeting at their clubhouse.
“We really are encouraging younger people (to join),” Kaye said. “So if they come and hear what we’re all about, it’s just a great organization because we’re involved in service projects. We really roll up our sleeves, and we work with nonprofits to do things.”
Information about meetings can be found on their website, and they also have a Zonta newsletter here.
The ultimate goal of the Zonta FilmFest is to empower and inspire young women, and the ladies involved are very pleased they get to give money to such great causes while doing so. Since there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future of LunaFest, they hope to make their own film festival a yearly occurrence and may even share the idea with other chapters of the Zonta Club.
“We feel really strongly that female filmmakers need all the help they can get because it’s such a male-dominated field that if we can help, that makes us feel good,” Kaye said. “And also Laura’s House, of course. We’re all about helping women who need help.”
Tickets are $50 for general admission and $25 for Dodge College students and can be purchased on Zonta’s website or in person the day of the event. Parking information can be found here.
“We feel really strongly that female filmmakers need all the help they can get because it’s such a male-dominated field that if we can help, that makes us feel good. And also Laura’s House, of course. We’re all about helping women who need help.”