WILMINGTON — As the local independent film festival prepares to celebrate 29 years in 2023, it has opened submissions for its November festival.
The event takes place Nov. 15-19 in downtown Wilmington, with more than 130 films screening, along with performance art and “a few super secret parties,” according to a release.
Any filmmaker who wants to submit original works, such as shorts, features, animations, docs or music videos, is welcome to apply. Cucalorus showcases creative output, from the wildly weird and experimental to intense horror and even personal stories that feature compelling topics, such as social justice.
Cucalorus is not a competitive festival but more a celebration of cinema, art and camaraderie. It accepts entries from all filmmakers and backgrounds, but the work must have been completed within the past two years and has not had a world premiere since 2019.
The early bird deadline is April 28 and the regular deadline to enter is May 26. The film lineup will be announced Sept. 7.
Fees to submit range from $25 to $60; however, there are waivers for filmmakers of color and residents of New Hanover County or within the City of Wilmington.
Waiver codes can be accessed by emailing dan@cucalorus.orgmailto:dan@cucalorus.org.
“We’re committed to providing transparency to all filmmakers about our programming process and are working on releasing a report about last year’s data in terms of fees, how many times each film was viewed by a judge, and how many films were selected vs. how many were submitted,” Cucalorus team notes on its profile on FilmFreeway, through which submissions are accepted.
Submissions are accepted on MP4. Packages, photos and checks can be sent to:
Cucalorus Submissions
Jengo’s Playhouse
815 Princess Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
The film festival is also asking for another kind of entry: “the recipe for the perfect funeral” which may appear on its social media pages.
“Your funeral, our funeral?!! Yes, we’re serious. Have fun with it!” it states on FilmFreeway. Again, mail submissions to Jengo’s Playhouse or email here.
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