They are among scores of participants in GiRL FeST Hawaii, a multimedia arts festival and conference today through Sept. 11 in Honolulu.

GiRL FeST Hawaii, in its second year, is a nonprofit multimedia women's festival founded to prevent violence against women and girls through education and art, said Kathryn Xian, who refers to herself as the nonexecutive director of the event.

GiRL FeST incorporates film, music, art, spoken word and dance, as well as a mini conference involving panels, lectures and outreach workshops, all of which address themes such as body image, identity, empowerment, social change and methods to prevent violence in relationships.

Neuwirth, whose organization is based in New York, Nairobi and London, called Xian's GiRL FeST Hawaii "the wave of the future."

It's "a creative and dynamic approach to activism that goes to the heart of what we need, which is a cultural evolution," Neuwirth said from New York City.

The festival will be much bigger this year, said Xian, a 2005 National Education Association Human & Civil Rights Award recipient.

"We have a lot of filmmakers and artists coming down to either do Q&As or just show up and talk to people about their work," she said.

Among those people will be Lords, who wrote and directed a short film titled "Sweet Pea." The movie is among more than 100 featured at the GiRL FeST International Film Festival, today through Sept. 8 at the Varsity Twin.

"The GiRL FeST Film Festival is a wonderful opportunity for women from all over the world to unite and share their experiences," Lords said via e-mail from Los Angeles. "It's really about healing and supporting those of us who have been victims of violence and rape, but most importantly, it is a festival about victory, winning one's self back."

Lords' directorial debut, based on a true story, is "the story of a young girl whose first kiss takes her to a place she never imagined," Lords said. "Sweet Pea" shows at 6 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Thursday.

Other visiting filmmakers and stars include Craig Gross, pastor and founder of xxxchurch.com who is featured in "Missionary Positions," a film by Bill Day about two young pastors (Gross and Mike Foster) and their journey to spread the word against pornography. Gross and company will be on hand for a Q&A after the film's 6 p.m. Sunday screening; it plays again at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"The problem of pornography is a huge issue," Gross said from Corona, Calif. "I think our film about pornography, as well as what the festival is doing about preventing violence against women, will definitely get people talking."

Event-goers also "absolutely must see 'Seoul Train,' " Xian said.

The film, at 8 p.m. today and Thursday, and 10 p.m. Saturday, is a documentary about the life and death of North Koreans trying to escape their homeland and China.

Money raised from GiRL FeST Hawaii will benefit its outreach programs; Puuhonua, a domestic violence drop-in center and program of Parents and Children Together; and Halau Lokahi, a public charter school.

In addition to the films, GiRL FeST will include lectures, workshops and panels, including "Combatting Sex Trafficking and Sexual Slavery," a free discussion at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the University of Hawai'i architecture department auditorium. Guest speakers include Derek Ellerman, co-executive director of the Polaris Project, and Neuwirth.

"This festival will inspire and entertain, as well as educate and mobilize," Neuwirth said. "And that will not only make it more fun, but also more effective in reaching out and channeling public concern for issues like trafficking into strategic action to end trafficking and other human-rights violations."

Despite the event's name, men are encouraged to attend GiRL FeST.

Katz, an anti-sexist male activist, and author Jamie Kalven, a winner of the Rape Victim Advocates Visionary Award, will hold a free program at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the UH Campus Center Ballroom geared toward men. Katz and Kalven will discuss the role of men in domestic and sexual violence prevention, paying special attention to issues of ethnic and racial diversity.

"We need men and boys involved fundamentally with this work," Katz said from Long Beach, Calif.

Other festival highlights (see schedule on Page 17 for times and ticket prices):

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.