WILMINGTON — An iconic film, a severed ear and a spotlight on the entertainment industry will converge during Azalea Festival this year.
Cucalorus Film Foundation and the 76th Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival are partnering on an event at 7:30 p.m. April 14. Jengo’s Playhouse will screen the cult classic “Blue Velvet,” and feature special guest makeup artist Jeff Goodwin.
Goodwin, whose career was launched by the film, brought to life the realistic severed ear featured in the 1986 film. He will bring the ear to the showing and talk about his time working on the Wilmington-based production decades ago.
One of the earliest films produced in the Port City, and the catalyst for it becoming known as “Hollywood East,” “Blue Velvet” is regarded as one of the best independent films ever made. It features performances by Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, Kyle Machlauchin, Laura Dern and a host of local characters, many of whom David Lynch “plucked from the downtown community because they were odd and outlandish.”
Following the showing of the movie, Goodwin (also known for his work on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Scream 5,” “Sleeping with the Enemy”) will host a Q&A at the “blue and velvety” party featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
The event is the first time two of the region’s largest festivals are collaborating to celebrate the film industry.
“The mission of the North Carolina Azalea Festival is to stimulate the region’s economy while promoting volunteerism, which we do through celebrating our community,” Azalea Festival executive director Alison Baringer said in a press release. “There is little dispute as to the economic impact the movie industry has had on Wilmington. … Cucalorus honors and reinforces the film industry’s ties to Wilmington, and for this, we are honored to partner together to celebrate the influence films have had in our community.”
Tickets to the event are $20 and include on signature cocktail and free hors d’oeuvres. They can be purchased here.
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