FANS from near and far will come to Wilming-ton
20
WBM november 2019
for the annual Cucalorus Festival — one
of the largest film festivals in the South —
Nov. 13-17.
Cucalorus is an arts organization sup-porting
emerging and innovative creative professionals. Its
downtown home base is Jengo’s Playhouse at 815 Princess
St. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival, which
celebrates independent and international film.
More than 300 movies screen each year at venues all over
downtown Wilmington, attracting more than 350 participat-ing
artists and thousands of fans and industry professionals.
Dan Brawley, chief instigating officer, says Cucalorus
makes a way for the Cape Fear region to stay in the
spotlight.
“When this film festival first began in 1994, film was really
booming here in Wilmington,” Brawley says. “Since then,
things have changed. Cucalorus is a way to bring atten-tion
back to Wilmington. With a mix of so many different
perspectives and stories from across the globe, Cucalorus
is a unique opportunity to be a part of a very special
conversation.”
Brawley loves to talk about film and educate new attend-ees
about the power of this event. He wants people to reach
out to his team about their interests so that they can pair
attendees up with the right films.
The festival claims to have something for everyone, from
the young to the young at heart. A series of short films
made by kids for kids will be shown on Saturday, Nov. 16
at 10:15 a.m. Families can catch the “Pigtails Shorts” at
Thalian Hall.
Not surprisingly, Brawley is energized about all the
events this year, but he says a great amount of nurturing
has gone into the Cucalorus Connect portion of the festi-val.
Cucalorus Connect features speakers who explore the
intersection between creativity, technology and humanity.
Keynote speaker Nick Atkins, co-founder of Pinksocks Life,
will host an event called “The Power of Connection” on
Thursday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.
The Cucalorus team hopes to attract even more attendees
this year by releasing the event schedule much earlier and
by showing every film twice so more people can experience
the festival to the fullest.
Tickets and passes are available online. Advance tickets
for Thalian Hall screenings can be purchased at the venue’s
box office.
trending
25 and Counting
Cucalorus Festival
Comes of Age
by KRISTIN REESER
cuc•a•lor•us:
In lighting for film, theatre and still
photography, a cucalorus (also spelled cucoloris,
cuculoris, kookaloris or cookaloris) is a device
for casting shadows or silhouettes to produce
patterned illumination. It is also referred to
as a cookie, kook, cuke or coo-koo.
Dan Brawley, chief instigating officer of the Cucalorus
Film Festival, and Izzie, his mini-pin/spaniel mix, pre-pare
for the festival at Jengo’s Playhouse, home of
the Cucalorus Foundation.
ALLISON POTTER