"The deliciously offbeat, smashingly innovative, charmingly anti-competitive Cucalorus Film Festival is one keeper of the Wilmington legends, which expand each year." - MovieMaker 2021

The 30th annual Cucalorus Festival takes place November 20-24, 2024 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The non-competitive festival showcases more than 120 films from all over the world and attracts filmmakers, performers and activists who come to celebrate the art-form, discover new work, and discuss the ongoing work of undoing racism. The festival's spirited celebration is a breeding ground for young artists, new ideas and future collaborations.

Festival programs focus on social justice, dance on camera, emerging voices, southern stories, horror & the bizarre, and the finest indie films of the year. Voted "One of the Coolest Film Festivals in the World" (MovieMaker Magazine 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023), and "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" (MovieMaker Magazine 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), Cucalorus creates an opportunity for intimate engagement between audience and artist through the festival’s retreat-like atmosphere, resulting in friendships that extend far beyond the festival’s 5-day celebration.

Cucalorus wants to see your stuff! Cucalorus seeks magical movies and outrageous videos for this fall’s 29th annual film festival and celebration. Cucalorus wants original works that showcase creativity and strive to bring both justice and joy to a core group of filmmakers, performers, and activists. Accepting fabulous features, daring documentaries, sizzling shorts, dance films, animation, experimental films, weirdly personal essays, experiments in cinema, social justice docs, first-time filmmakers, and just about anything you can fit into an MP4!

“Bold, insightful programming, a laid-back rock and roll atmosphere and gorgeous seaside locale no doubt contribute to the ‘summer camp for filmmakers’ vibe, making Cucalorus the best kept secret on the indie fest circuit.” - MovieMaker Magazine

Unlike many film festivals, Cucalorus does not give out awards! Competition is kind of sucky. Instead we give every filmmaker a cash honorarium and we host late night parties with bonfires and curious cocktails to build deep friendships and peculiar memories. Cucalorus is committed to building long-term connections for artists looking to grow their audience, cultivate creative resilience, and explore new projects.

WAIVERS: We offer waivers to filmmakers of color and to residents of New Hanover County or the City of Wilmington. We wish we didn’t have to charge a fee at all but the small entry fee pays for the labor it takes to organize entries - all the emails, titles, scores and so on. It just ends up taking a lot of time! 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. Stay tuned. For a waiver code, email dan@cucalorus.org. Cucalorus loves you!

Cucalorus accepts films from all genres by filmmakers of all backgrounds. Films must have been completed within the past two years, and films with world premieres before June 2023 are not eligible. All films must be Wilmington, NC premieres to qualify. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact dan@cucalorus.org.

One more thing!
Send us a future creepy child using AI, collage or haiku! Yes, we're serious. Have fun with it! You can mail this to our office at Jengo's Playhouse or email the design to dan@cucalorus.org. If you need guidance on creepiness, email alex@cucalorus.org. **disclaimer** - we may post this on social media!!

Please send all packages, checks, drawings, toys, baby goats, and photos to:

Cucalorus Submissions
Jengo's Playhouse
815 Princess Street
Wilmington, NC 28401

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • La-Rel Easter

    Many thanks to Dan, his staff, the volunteers, and the festival supporters for facilitating the vibrant experience that is Cucalorus! The screenings I attended provoked colorful conversations and muted awe. I look forward to seeing how the festival will continue to grow.

    January 2024
  • Nick Damore

    Dan and the Cucalorus crew have created a truly special festival! The non-competitive setup and abundance of filmmaker events foster an experience where filmmakers have the chance to meet and support each other. Having two screenings of my film was especially exciting, too! Hosted in the historic downtown district of Wilmington, everything is within walking distance. Cucalorus even provided support in the form of travel assistance, accommodations, and an honorarium, which is incredibly helpful for independent filmmakers. They do an excellent job spreading the word around Wilmington and the screenings are very well-attended. This fest is top notch!

    December 2023
  • Amazing fest. Amazing communication. Great for networking, having fun, and nourishing one's filmmaking soul.

    December 2023
  • Christopher Stoudt

    My absolute favorite film festival in existence.

    November 2023
  • Sean Pierce

    Great festival and great screenings of the film. Was so lovely to be there in-person and would strongly suggest anyone that gets in to attend to witness the festivities!

    November 2023