More than 20 years in the making, Cucalorus Film Festival has since grown into one of the largest film festivals in the South. More than 300 films screen each year at venues all over downtown Wilmington, attracting a large number of participating artists (350+) and thousands of fans and industry professionals. Festival programs focus on dance, music videos, emerging artists, social justice, works-in-progress, and international cinema. MovieMaker Magazine has recognized it as “One of the Coolest Film Festivals in the World” for three years in a row.
Cucalorus Film Festival started in 1994 and takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
For its 26th year, the Cucalorus Film Festival is taking a new approach with a hybrid format of live online events, streaming films online, and drive-in movie screenings at Curbside Cinema at UNCW. The festival is expanding dates to span fifteen days, November 11th-25th with a full lineup totaling 95 films, with everything from heartwarming dramas and important documentaries to obscure shorts and the just plain zany.
Cucalorus Film Festival revealed its first round of cinematic selections for this year’s 26th annual festival presented through a series of Drive-in experiences at the Curbside Cinema at UNCW combined with online screenings and late-night performances.
Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches[/caption]
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.
The Misogynists[/caption]
The 23 year-old Cucalorus Film Festival is transforming to broaden its exploration of innovation and creativity by showcasing performers and entrepreneurs along with filmmakers. This year’s Cucalorus Festival taking place November 8 to 12, in downtown Wilmington, NC, is organized into three broad programs: Film, Stage and Connect.
The catalyst for this transformation is the Cucalorus Connect Conference, an exploration of the digital transformation that is changing the way we live, work and play. Michele Holbrook from Corning will deliver the opening keynote and will be joined by executives from GE Hitachi Nuclear, ESPN, CBS Sports, SAS, Microsoft, K4Connect and more. Entrepreneur George Taylor, who has been instrumental in building the ecosystem for startups in North Carolina, will make a special announcement about his work to launch a brewery run by active gang members during the closing keynote.
Headlining Thursday’s schedule, Onur Tukel returns to Wilmington for the Southern US Premiere of his latest film “The Misogynists” – a devastatingly satirical comedy about two Trump supporters celebrating in a hotel room on election night.
Cucalorus will host the World Premiere of Canadian filmmakers Hannah Cheesman and Mackenzie Donaldson’s “The Definites” – a tightly crafted drama about a woman who leaves her husband-to-be and dives into her own wild desires during a libidinous, party-filled weekend at Art Basel in Miami. Rounding out the premieres at the festival are Dan Mirvish’s “Bernard and Huey,” Jordan Canning’s “Ordinary Days,” Jennifer Morrison’s “Sun Dogs,” and Bob Byington’s “Infinity Baby.” The full lineup of over 200 features and shorts will be announced next week and will include special curated programs from Toronto International Film Festival‘s Lisa Haller and Lisa Vandever from Cinekink.
The festival’s Works-in-Progress program, a workshop-style review of top social documentaries in-the-making from African American filmmakers, includes Unapologetic by Ashley Mills, Seeds of Struggle by Dennis Terry, Woody Shaw: Beyond All Limits by Woody Shaw III, Time of the Phoenix: The First Rainbow Coalition by Ray Santisteban, You Only Live Once by Terrance Pitts, and While I Breathe, I Hope by Emily Harrold.
The newest branch of the festival family is the Cucalorus Stage program, built on the success of performance-focused events like Dance-a-lorus, the Bus to Lumberton, and Visual/Sound/Walls. The Cucalorus Stage Experience includes more than 40 performers working in dance, music, theatre, comedy and performance. Alexandra Tatarsky returns to the festival with “Americana Psychobabble” – a delirious anti-narrative of American emptiness, violence and nonsense — part exorcism and part enema! Returning to the fest after her buzz-worthy debut, Shirley Gnome will share her new show “Taking it up the Notch.” Dram Tree Shakespeare, Pineapple-Shaped Lamps and a host of other cutting edge performers round out the lineup while the David Lynch-inspired Bus to Lumberton installation is being created by award-winning alum Josephine Decker.
Cucalorus announces its call for entries!! Cucalorus seeks submissions for features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, media installations and performances ranging from slam poetry to dance for the 21st annual Cucalorus Film Festival, to be held November 11-15, 2015. The festival takes place in a walkable nine-block radius of historic downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
During the five-day celebration, film freaks and community members choose from a diverse lineup buoyed by cleverly crafted special programs, including the opening night live performance Dance-a-lorus and an interactive installation inspired by David Lynch’s Blue Velvet called “The Bus to Lumberton”.
Cucalorus is organized into a slate of thematic programs dedicated to social justice, emerging artists, works-in-progress, shorts, dance, festival hits, international cinema, music videos, and North Carolina. New programmatic focuses specifically support American female directors (the Vanguard program), directors from the US South (Southern Voices), and African American directors (Works-in-Progress). CIO Dan Brawley notes, “I’m on the circuit all year and I continue to notice that festivals are trying to embrace diverse voices, but the aesthetic is always the same. So we have to push aesthetic boundaries and create a strong space for exploring new cultures and new stories.”
Cucalorus’ general call for entries extends through late July, with separate deadlines for Dance-a-lorus performance pieces and Works-in-Progress.
| Submission Deadline | Date | Fee |
| Early | June 3 | $25 |
| Regular | June 24 | $35 |
| Late | July 15 | $45 |
| Extended | July 29 | $55 |
The Cucalorus Film Festival announced the final film and event line-up for its 20th annual showcase, scheduled for November 12-16, 2014 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The five-day event will include 43 narrative features, 21 documentary features, 145 shorts, 34 music videos and 7 works-in-progress along with a deep schedule of multi-disciplinary performances ranging from dance to spoken word and beyond. Among the 241 films being shown at Cucalorus, some notable selections include:
World Premieres
Uncensored – a documentary by DC-based director Stephanie Martinez featuring three Colombian journalists recounting the terrifying reality of living through the Escobar cartel and the ongoing struggle to maintain freedom of the press.
A Better You – From one of the founders of The Upright Citizens Brigade (Matt Walsh from HBO’s “Veep”) comes the story of Dr. Ron (Brian Huskey), a revolutionary Los Angeles hypnotherapist, who could solve everyone’s problems but his own.
Times Like Dying – a thrilling Western set in the Post-Civil War South involving four brothers facing the loss of their family farm; features actorBill Cody. Shot and produced in Wilmington.
U.S./Eastern/Southeastern Premieres
Labyrinthus – an edge of your seat thriller about a 14-year-old boy who must complete a sinister computer game that uses real children from his neighborhood as players; part of the newly launched Kids-a-lorus program and recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2014.
Hide and Seek – director Joanna Coates’ provocative drama about a group of young, unmoored adults who retreat to the countryside to test intimate boundaries; winner of the Michael Powell award at EdinburghFilm Festival 2014.
Felix and Meira – a young married woman from Montreal’s Orthodox Jewish community escapes the bonds of her faith when she meets an artist in her neighborhood who is mourning the loss of his father; won best Canadian feature at Toronto International Film Festival 2014.
Spring – Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s intriguing indie drama blends romance and horror together in this ultimately uplifting film about a young man who flees California to find himself working on a farm in Italy and falling in love with a woman who carries a dark secret.
The Tribe – a smashing hit at this year’s Cannes film festival, this outstanding Ukranian feature follows a gang of deaf-mute students who spend their nights running a prostitution ring at the local truck stop.
The Age of Love – a charming documentary that follows the humorous adventures of thirty seniors in Rochester, NY who sign up for a Speed Dating event exclusively for 70- to 90-year-olds.
Other Noteworthy Films
Force Majeure – directed by Ruben Ostlund, this award-winning, brilliantly funny psychodrama tells the story of a model Swedish family on a skiing holiday in the French Alps when an avalanche strikes;Sweden’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film for Oscars 2014; winner of Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2014.
Wildlike – an unsettling drama about a young girl who tries to make her way back to Seattle after fleeing her uncle’s home in Alaska; recently premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The Hip-Hop Fellow – a documentary following Grammy award winning producer 9th Wonder’s tenure at Harvard University where he explores 40 years of hip-hop history and lays out the case for hip-hop as part of the larger evolution of the universal language of music.
Cucalorus Film Festival taking place in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, from November 13 to 17, 2013, unveiled its full 2013 schedule of screenings, artistic interventions and parties. More than 200 features, docs and shorts will be presented as part of the Magnolia, Vanguard, Voices, Works-in-Progress, Midnight Madness and Shorts Programs. The festival opens on Wednesday with Dance-a-lorus, a growing program of performances, screenings and workshops exploring the intersection between dance and film.
Set in Florida but lensed in the Wilmington area late last year, Michael Maren’s directorial debut, A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY, will have its Southern US Premier. The dark comedy had its World Premier last week at the Hamptons Film Festival. Former Wilmington resident Linda Lavin delivers a solid performance as a mother and wife struggling with the realities of Alzheimer’s.
REDWOOD HIGHWAY, directed by Gary Lundgren (Calvin Marshall, CucFF 2009), features a beautiful performance from Shirley Knight, who plays a woman struggling with her increasing lack of independence in her later years.
Fresh from its World Premier at the Toronto Film Festival, Ingrid Veninger’s THE ANIMAL PROJECT, a charming ensemble comedy, will have its US Premier on Friday, November 15. Full of inspiring surf footage and a touching testimony to local surfing legend Jack Viorel, BOUND BY SEA (directed by Nate Daniel) will have its World Premier on Saturday, November 16.
Foreign language Academy contenders BORGMAN (Netherlands) and BOY EATING THE BIRDS FOOD (Greece) join Scandinavian deep sea diving thriller PIONEER on the list of 31 international films. SXSW audience award winner SHORT TERM 12 returns to the festival (Director Destin Cretton’s short of the same title screened at Cucalorus in 2009). BLUE RUIN headlines the Midnight Madness program and charming comedy THE ZIGZAG KID fills the festival’s new slot for a Sunday afternoon family film (ages 11 and up).
The Cucalorus Film Festival in historic Wilmington, North Carolina, is looking for submissions from filmmakers for the upcoming 19th edition of the festival to held November 13-17, 2013. Cucalorus, describes itself as a free-spirited and multidisciplinary showcaseand screens an collection of independent and international films with special programs on social justice, emerging artists, shorts, works-in-progress, dance, music videos, North Carolina, and international cinema.
In addition to films, the festival supports innovation through programs like Dance-a-lorus, a live performance featuring collaborations between choreographers and filmmakers; and Visual/Sound/Walls, an experimental venue crammed full of music videos, surf movies and installations. The festival showcases a strong schedule of socially aware and politically challenging films, which engage audiences on contemporary issues.
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Happy (Sykt Lykkelig), Norway’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2011 Academy Awards[/caption]
Cucalorus Film Festival released its official schedule of films and events for this year’s festival, revealing a roster of over 150 films from 23 different countries. The festival opens on Thursday, November 10th with Dance-a-lorus, an exploration of film and dance at the historic Thalian Hall.
Other films include Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig), Norway’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2011 Academy Awards. Our Day Will Come, the first feature film by Romain Gavras, the director of M.I.A.’s controversial “Born Free” music video; Simon Arthur’s Silver Tongues, winner of the Audience award at the Slamdance Film Festival, and Vikram Gandhi’s Kumare winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at SXSW also made the 2011 lineup.
Last minute additions include the Norwegian comedy Turn Me On Dammit!, which won best screenplay award at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of David Lynch’s classic American indie, the festival will host a staged reading of the play Blue Velvet: The Musical. Other special events like Norwood Cheek’s 10×10 and Visual Soundwalls solidify music’s position as guest of honor at Cucalorus 17.
The Cucalorus Film Festival runs November 10 – 13, 2011 in historic downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
Cucalorus Film Festival returns to the historic port city of Wilmington, North Carolina for its annual cinematic celebration this November 11-14th. Film selections include Gaspar Noe’s cinematic wonder Enter the Void, Sundance World Cinema documentary winner The Red Chapel by Mads Brügger, and a healthy list of additional independent and international titles.