The Violence Prevention Center’s new annual film fundraiser, Beyond the Reel, will take place on Sunday, May 19th at 3 pm at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The event is reminiscent of past LUNAFEST film events but with a few new twists.

The event will begin with a social hour, munchies, and refreshments, all accompanied by Ben Nichols on the piano. The food and beverage options this year are particularly exciting. Thanks to some amazing donors, attendees will get to enjoy fruits and veggies donated by the Cook County Co-op, charcuterie featuring smoked fish donated by Fisherman’s Daughter, ice cream and sorbet donated by Superior Creamery, coffee donated by Java Moose, and a lovely non-alcoholic spruce margarita donated by Poplar Haus. 

Previous attendees of LUNAFEST will remember bidding in a silent auction at past events. This year, a raffle will be held instead. Many of the raffle items are self-care themed, things like acupuncture with Artemisia, wellness coaching with Renewellness, Lynxfit classes, and a sauna session with Sisu & Löyly. We also have gift certificates from North Shore Winery and Lake Superior Trading Post. Plus, VPC board members have joined forces to put together a self-care basket. There may even be more raffle items gathered between now and May 19th!

The most obvious new element for this event is a showing of one full-length film rather than a series of short films. The production company that the VPC partnered with for previous film events is on a hiatus right now, but this opened up a new opportunity to work with a nonprofit, Women Make Movies, to secure a film for this year’s fundraiser. Women Make Movies has a long history of supporting women of color, differently abled women, LGBTQIA people, and other communities too rarely represented both on-screen and behind the camera.

Without the LUNA partnership, the VPC has renamed this annual fundraiser from LUNAFEST to Beyond the Reel. While it is a film event, it really is so much more. This is an opportunity to commune with other members of the community who are committed to creating a safe and healthy community, free of violence. The name is also inspired by the hope that the sentiment of the film carries forth beyond the screening and helps to reinforce the VPC’s mission to create a safe and just community.

The film chosen for this year’s screening is Esther Newton Made Me Gay, a documentary about the trailblazing cultural anthropologist, dog agility enthusiast, and iconic butch lesbian, Esther Newton. The documentary depicts Newton’s life as a queer and gender-nonconforming person, her passion for dog agility sports, and her decades-long work documenting subcultures within the queer community. She is definitely somebody worthy of receiving a Joan Drury Award, an award the VPC presents at this annual fundraiser.

This award is named after the late VPC co-founder Joan Drury, an outspoken feminist who dedicated her life to justice, advocacy, and equity for girls, women, and LGBTQ+ people. The purpose of the award is to honor Joan's legacy by recognizing exceptional community members who work towards fostering gender equity through any of the following means: volunteerism, community commitment, personal awareness, philanthropy, and promotion of education, awareness, and outreach. We had some great nominations this year, it was really hard to choose just one nominee. We are very excited to acknowledge some amazing work being done by a dedicated community member at the event.

Please join the VPC for our biggest fundraising event of the year. Tickets are available at the door only for $25 and student pricing is available. All funds raised from sponsors, ticket sales, raffle sales, and donations received will be used to support our work to foster a community that cultivates healthy relationships, empowers systems to serve individuals with equity and compassion, and does not tolerate violence. The VPC serves all who have been affected by or subjected to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

This year’s Beyond the Reel fundraiser is made possible by businesses in Cook County who supported us by donating funds, food and refreshments, and items for the raffle. Thank you to: Cook County Co-op, Subway Grand Marais, Odyssey Resorts, Grand Marais Family Dentistry, Grand Marais State Bank, Java Moose, WISE, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts, Drury Lane, Sisu & Loyly, Superior Creamery, Artemisia Acupuncture, Renewellness, North Shore Winery, Lake Superior Trading Post, Poplar Haus, and Lynxfit. As one VPC supporter put it (in a Facebook comment), these are “‘the helpers’ who make the good work of the VPC possible.”