-
Cucalorus Film Foundation
815 Princess Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
910.343.5995
director: dan brawley
dan "at" cucalorus.org
development director: jill tefft
development "at" cucalorus.org
If you are interested in volunteering let us know! We accept e-mails, snail mail, smoke signals, and telepathic messages.
Staff
Dan Brawley
Originally from a small town in upstate New York, Jill holds a MA in Theatre from Illinois State University. This is Jill's third year on staff at the festival. As Development Director for Cucalorus 18 Jill will head up a variety of projects, including raising funds, organizing the box office, and youth programs. Most days Jill can be found in the office deep in conversation with Izzie. In her free time Jill enjoys drinking coffee, auditioning for local productions, and playing with her miniature dachshund Buddy (sometimes all at the same time!).

Ryan Jaccard
IzzieRecently relocated from a no-kill animal resort on the outskirts of Conway, South Carolina, Izzie is a Mini-Pin and Spaniel mix with a few unknown ancestral lines. Izzie works diligently to maintain staff morale by licking hands, faces and other places. You can find her chewing sticks, practicing her stunt dog tricks and looking out the window.
Lola
Board of Trustees
Robert Sharp, Chair
Robert has nearly 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, mainly in the digital media industry. Most recently, Robert acquired Digieffects, a developer of special effects software for film and video. Robert moved the business to Wilmington, North Carolina in 2007 and since that time has become highly involved with the local film community. Robert grew up in Tokyo, Japan and holds a B.A. in Asian History from San Francisco State University.
Dylan Lee, PresidentSusi Hamilton, Past Chair
Susi’s roots in New Hanover County run deep, her family has resided in Wilmington for decades. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, from UNC Wilmington, 2004 and a Bachelor of Arts in History, UNC Chapel Hill, 1994. Susi has business friendly values and strong sense of public participation. In addition to Cucalorus, she currently serves on many local boards and commissions.
Beth Steelman, Treasurer
Cathy Meriam, Secretary
Dancing to several tunes (mostly off beat) all at once, Dan Brawley is the multi-media collaborator and curator leading Cucalorus since 1999. A
graduate of Duke University and a native of Wilmington, Brawley is busy traveling around the world to find new films, artists and ideas to the festival. Ever restless, Brawley is also the Treasurer of Atlanta-based non-profit Alternate ROOTS, an organization that supports the crossroads between art and activism.

Rob majored in Motion Picture and Television Production at the University of Southern Colorado. With a small grant in 1999, he produced, directed and edited the non-fiction film Live In It To Win It. Rob founded Common Sense Films, the company behind his Emmy nominated documentary, The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life and Death of Robert E. Harrill. The film also won Best Documentary Feature at the Hollywood Film Festival and is distributed nationally. The National Academy of Television Science nominated Rob for the prestigious Rising Star Award in 2007.

Sue Meier 
Dave is a filmmaker and teacher. He is the co-author of "Looking At Movies", an intro to film textbook published by W.W. Norton& Co, and serves as the chair of the Film Studies department at UNC Wilmington.

Originally from a small town in upstate New York, Jill holds a MA in Theatre from Illinois State University. This is Jill's third year on staff at the festival. As Development Director for Cucalorus 18 Jill will head up a variety of projects, including raising funds, organizing the box office, and youth programs. Most days Jill can be found in the office deep in conversation with Izzie. In her free time Jill enjoys drinking coffee, auditioning for local productions, and playing with her miniature dachshund Buddy (sometimes all at the same time!).
Bill VassarBill is the Executive Vice President of EUE Screen Gems Studios. He manages the company’s facilities in Wilmington and Charleston. Bill joined EUE Screen Gems in 1997 as the manager of their video facility in New York City. In 2002 he added the responsibility of collaborating with their Wilmington studio management. Bill serves on the North Carolina Governor’s Film Council and the board of the Wilmington Regional Film Office. He also served two terms on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Sheena Vaught
Sheena is the only person in the world who's name is not spelled like it's pronounced, which is Shayna. A native of Calabash, NC Sheena is a script supervisor and also a filmmaker; directing documentaries on the Cape Fear Literacy Council and also on North Carolina prolific artist Ivey Hayes.
Duke Fire
Bo Webb
Jim O'Brien
Ambassadors Council
Aaron Hillis
Aaron is the NYC-based curator of the reRun Gastropub Theater (Brooklyn, NY), editor of GreenCine Daily, and an ongoing contributor to The Village Voice, LA Weekly, Time Out NY, Variety, and Spin. His co-directorial feature debut, FISH KILL FLEA, screened at Cucalorus '07.
Hope Dickson Leach
Hope completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University in New York, during which time she was assistant to Todd Solondz for the making of his film PALINDROMES. Her award-winning short films have played at festivals worldwide and she is currently developing her debut feature ENGLISH ROSE about a teenage girl who hates Princess Diana (a comedy). She lives in Glasgow with her husband and son.
Geoff Marslett
Geoff is a native Texan who took a circuitous path to filmmaking, studying mathematics, philosophy, art, science, and languages at St. John’s College before returning to Texas to pursue an MFA in filmmaking at UT (2001). His critically acclaimed Monkey vs. Robot screened at over 25 festivals worldwide, was distributed theatrically, and broadcast on HBO, PBS, and Univision. His short, Bubblecraft, served as a laboratory for developing his own unique animation process and style and later co-wrote an expanded version for Mars.
Norwood Cheek
Norwood Cheek is a film and television producer, director, actor and writer who has worked behind and in front of the camera for 20 years. He has directed more than 70 music videos including ones for eels, she & him, squirrel nut zippers and superchunk. A small gauge film enthusiast, cheek started flicker in chapel hill and leads film and music video workshops at film festivals around the world.
Francesca Talenti
Francesca is a filmmaker and animator that has exhibited work from Sundance to PBS National, by way of Mumbai, Casablanca, Göteborg, and many others. She has won a number of "best of" awards and has received grants from the Independent Television Service, Latino Public Broadcasting, and the Kauffman Foundation. Francesca is also a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches media production.
Matt Hulse
Perhaps best known for his films - with award - winning shorts, retrospective screenings and the debut feature documentary 'Follow The Master' (which had its US premier at Cucalorus and has been described as 'thrumming with life and a little madness') - but in his restless, maverick practice Matt embraces moving image, text, music, sound, live performance, events and community to help articulate his quizzical, poetic take on over looked aspects of this bizarre life. Has also worked as a toilet cleaner. Pedal over to > dummyjim.com
Josephine Decker
Josephine is a Brooklyn-based performer and filmmaker. A magical realist at heart, she attempts to navigate the wavering sea-tide between fish-heads and teddy bears -- always aiming for the truth. Her performance art has received national coverage, and her feature doc "Bi The Way," exploring the rise of bisexuality in America and available on Logo and Netflix, screened at SXSW, Silverdocs, and about 100 festivals worldwide. Her short films-- featuring dancing utensils and child pirates -- have brought her to Cucalorus for the last three years. She aims to shoot her frist narrative feature, "Squeezebox", in the fall of 2012.
Volunteers!
Cucalorus is made possible by an enormous volunteer staff. Each year hundreds of brilliant and talented people like you devote hours and hours to make the annual festival a truly unique and southern experience. To join the Cucalorus Family of dysfunktional spirits, send an email to development@cucalorus.org or drop by the office at 815 Princess Street in downtown Wilmington.
