The 23rd Cucalorus Festival takes over downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, from November 8 to 12 and will feature more than 70 documentaries, including the world premiere of Ricky and Cherie Kelly’s racially-charged motorcycle doc “Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches” and the international premiere of Shawn Hitchins’ fiery, flamboyant stage show-doc “Ginger Nation.”
One of many films crossing the divide between Cucalorus Film and Cucalorus Connect is Thomas Lennon’s “Knife Skills,” about a French restaurant staffed entirely by men and women just out of prison. Lennon shared, “I knew Cucalorus was a creative festival. What I didn’t know is how deep its roots run in its community, its passion to connect each film to an audience in a way that packs the biggest possible punch. They really go the extra mile, which makes the festival even more exciting for us.”
Other documentary debuts include the U.S. premiere of “Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story” by Jon Carey and Adam Darke, chronicling the complex and troubled story of a talented (and openly gay) British soccer player. “The Power of Glove,” from Andrew Austin and Adam Ward, presenting the legacy of the notoriously “bad” Nintendo Power Glove, and “True Conviction” from Jamie Meltzer, depicting a detective agency run by exonerated men to free innocent people, both make their southeast U.S. premieres. “ACORN and the Firestorm,” directed by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard, will have it’s North Carolina premiere and documents the amateur journalists who posed as a pimp and prostitute hoping to expose America’s largest grassroots community organizing group via hidden-camera.
Cucalorus also includes 55 short documentaries, including the world premiere of Joanne Hock’s “Martin Hill: Camera Man,” honoring a curator of cameras that shot some of the most iconic films in Hollywood’s past. Other key short docs include “Water Warriors” by Michael Premo, “Under the Mask” by Alex Hoelscher, and “Lonnie Holley: The Truth of Dirt” by Marco Williams.
Feature Docs
“No Dress Code Required (Etiqueta no rigurosa),” Cristina Herrera Borquez
“True Conviction,” Jamie Meltzer
“Rebels on Pointe,” Bobbi Jo Hart
“ACORN and the Firestorm,” Reuben Atlas, Sam Pollard
“Working In Protest,” Michael Galinsky, Suki Hawley, David Beilinson
“The Power of Glove,” Andrew Austin & Adam Ward
“Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story,” Jon Carey and Adam Darke
“Motherland,” Ramona S. Díaz
“What Lies Upstream,” Cullen Hoback
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“The Road Movie,” Dmitrii Kalashnikov
“Ginger Nation,” Shawn Hitchins, Mitch Fillion
“Liberation Day,” Morten Traavik, Ugis Olte
“The Work,” Gethin Aldous and Jairus McLeary
“Purple Dreams,” Joanne Hock
“Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches,” Ricky Kelly
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