Events Around Town

WomenCARE is delighted to announce the WomenCARE 2025 Virtual FilmFest Fundraiser
Films will be showing May 7-11, 2025

Last year, we proudly launched our own alternative to the beloved LUNAFEST—and it was a great success! The 2024 event received wonderful feedback, and attendees truly enjoyed the films. Building on that momentum, we’re excited to bring the community together once again in support of WomenCARE. All four films in our line up were generously donated by the filmmakers and are by and about women.

We hope you’ll join us this year for another inspiring lineup of films—all while supporting the vital work we do for women facing cancer. As always, all proceeds go directly to WomenCARE!

Tickets are $25-$40 for this virtual event. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womencare-virtual-filmfest-fundraiser-2025-tickets-1288712877909
Meet This Year’s Must-See Films!
Shoreline (36 minutes) Director Carina Raffaelli A grieving young artist rescues a strange girl from drowning and can’t seem to let her go. With the help of a concerned ex-partner, she must confront the losses haunting her before the weekend is over.

Love in the Time of Migration A short documentary by Erin Semine Kökdil and Chelsea Abbas (21 minutes) is a short documentary that follows Ronny and Suly’s love story and examines their journey to each other as one of sacrifice, commitment, and faith. After four years of their long-distance, internet romance, Suly considers migrating to the US to be with Ronny. Ronny rejects this idea, knowing the dangers that come to women on the migrant trail. Instead, he decides to voluntarily return to Guatemala after 12 years of living in the US. After living together for a year as a married couple, they begin to realize the limitations of life in rural Guatemala, and as such, begin to plan their journey to the US. What they do not know is that their relationship will be tested even further: from potential kidnappings, to being separated and detained by ICE. Ultimately, one of them will be offered the opportunity to stay in the US, while the other is deported.

Public Defender Director Andrea Kalin (50 minutes)
Heather Shaner, a feisty, blue-haired public defender in Washington, D.C., has spent 40 years representing people who can’t afford a lawyer. On Jan. 6, 2021, Shaner’s empathy hits a limit when a violent mob supporting outgoing President Donald Trump storms the Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden. She wants nothing to do with the alleged criminals until she gets a call from The Federal Defender’s office asking her to represent some of the rioters. Forced to reconcile her fear and anger with her belief in the right to a fair trial, Shaner accepts a caseload of nonviolent offenders and is surprised when her disdain for the rioters eases. Using humor and comic relief, Public Defender takes on America’s epidemic of division and misinformation, showing how to restore trust and accountability one conversation at a time.

First Date Director Carly Usdin (11 minutes) is the story of two women who fall in love despite living across the country. While visiting friends in Los Angeles, Atlanta native Anna matches with Jennifer on Bumble. They’re unable to meet up while she’s in town, but weeks later they begin a flirtatious text conversation which eventually leads to an epic first date: Jennifer flying across the country to attend a wedding as Anna’s guest. Based on a true story, “First Date” is part of Hello Sunshine’s “Meet Cute” series of short films sponsored by Bumble and Baileys.