Wilmington, NC – The Cucalorus Film Foundation, in partnership with the Silver Pride Circle of the Cape Fear, has announced the return of the Silver Pride Cinema Festival, a two-day celebration of LGBTQ+ film and community, taking place May 29-30, 2026, at Jengo’s Playhouse.
The festival opens with “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 29. The iconic Australian road comedy follows two drag queens and a transgender woman on a dazzling journey across the Outback aboard a tour bus named Priscilla.
The screening — offered both indoors and outdoors on the lawn at Jengo’s Backyard — caps an evening that begins at 6 p.m. with the Red Carpet Gay-La. Guests are encouraged to arrive in drag and ready to celebrate.
“The opening night Gay-La is all about joy, visibility, and community,” festival organizer Janyce Jones wrote in a press release. “A chance to celebrate queer stories and intergenerational connections.”
Earlier that day, festivalgoers can explore Wilmington’s cultural history through a special WilmingtoNColor heritage shuttle tour, an immersive 90-minute experience highlighting the city’s Black history and stories of resilience. Tickets for this event are limited.
The festival continues Saturday, May 30, with a full day of screenings and special programming. Highlights include the closing night film “Jimpa,” a moving story of family and identity starring John Lithgow; “Barbara Forever,” an archive-driven exploration of pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer; and the Painted Bunting Shorts Block, a vibrant collection of bold, tender, and unapologetically original queer stories spanning generations and genres.
The festival also features a 90-minute directing workshop with Ingrid Jungermann, offering participants hands-on insight into visual storytelling, scene analysis, and the craft of directing from pre-production through production. Jungermann has deep ties to Wilmington’s arts community. Back in the early 2000s, they were a key figure in the local scene, directing and acting in plays at City Stage, writing theater reviews for Encore magazine, and helping form the all-female Brawdeville performance troupe.
Opening night tickets are available for $20 and include access to the Red Carpet Gay-La, small bites, and the film screening. Festival passes and tickets to individual screenings are on sale now at silverpridecinemafestival.eventive.org.
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